Conference of Special Libraries Concludes with Recommendations on AI Role in Preserving Cultural Heritage

The 28th annual Conference of the Special Libraries Association, Arabian Gulf Chapter, concluded today in Jeddah.

 The event, organized in cooperation with the Libraries Commission of the Ministry of Culture, was held under the theme “Towards the Sustainability of Knowledge and the Preservation of Culture and Heritage: Managing Rare Documents, Manuscripts, and Heritage Materials in the Era of Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence.” It featured 80 research papers and scientific presentations delivered across 19 scientific sessions, in addition to the opening and closing sessions.

 The conference brought together experts and specialists in the library sector, alongside researchers from Gulf, Arab, and global states, who presented studies and workshops highlighting the latest practices in managing documents, manuscripts, and heritage materials, as well as employing modern technologies to preserve and make them digitally accessible.

 The conference concluded with recommendations stressing the importance of balancing identity preservation with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, keeping pace with advances in AI and machine learning in managing rare documents and analyzing historical texts, and encouraging investment in emerging technologies and smart systems to serve libraries and heritage exhibitions. The recommendations also included developing technical processes and services for organizing, cataloging, and digitally providing heritage materials to support sustainability strategies in knowledge institutions.