From October 25 to 26, the 2024 International Symposium on Indexing and the Annual Meeting of the China Society of Indexers was successfully held at Peking University, focusing on the theme “AI and Indexing: Opportunities and Challenges”. The event was sponsored by the China Society of Indexers (CSI), hosted by Peking University Library and Fudan University Library, and co-sponsored by Beijing Wanfang Data Co., Ltd., the 22nd Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, and Qingdao Hengtianyi Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Image of the meeting

Address by WANG Quanchun, Chairman of the CSI and Associate Dean of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee

Address by WU Libo, Assistant President of Fudan University

Video message from GE Yongqing, one of the founding members of the CSI

Address by Ms. Devon Thomas, Former President of the American Society for Indexing

WANG Quanchun, Chairman of the CSI and Associate Dean of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the event. He emphasized the CSI’s commitment to openness, sharing, and collaboration in its international engagements, inviting global indexing professionals to share their experiences in China. He also expressed a willingness to showcase China’s latest achievements in indexing theories and practices to international organizations. advocating for joint efforts to address the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies. He hopes that Chinese and international experts will collaborate to enhance the role of indexing in global scientific innovation and knowledge creation, ultimately contributing to a better world for all.

REN Yuzhong, Vice President of Peking University, expressed his enthusiasm for hosting the event. He reflected on the deep historical ties between Peking University and the field of indexing, underscoring the growing importance of indexing as a tool for knowledge navigation. He noted that this event is crucial for advancing both Chinese and international indexing initiatives.

In her address, WU Libo, Assistant President of Fudan University, acknowledged the significant achievements of the CSI since its establishment. She highlighted the society’s contributions to the efficient management and utilization of information resources in recent years and called on indexing professionals to enhance the performance and functionality of indices and databases, ensuring they meet users’ demands for efficient and precise information retrieval.

GE Yongqing, a founding member of the CSI who is now in his nineties, congratulated the attendees via video link and shared his heartfelt wishes for the future development of indexing initiatives in China.

Ms. Devon Thomas, Former President of the American Society for Indexing, delivered an engaging guest speech.

The event consists of the following sections: keynote, roundtable, and sessions. In the keynote section, Prof. LU Wei (Vice President of Wuhan University), Dennis Duncan (the author of “ Index, A History of the” and an associate professor at the University College London), Prof. CHEN Jianlong (Vice Chairman of the Peking University Council and Director of Peking University Library), LIN Haiqing (a research librarian at the East Asian Library of UC Berkeley), QIAO Xiaodong (a research fellow and Vice General Manager of Beijing Wanfang Data Co., Ltd.), and LI Sun (a senior engineer at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology) shared their findings and insights on topics including “AI-driven Innovative Indexing”, “Highly Capable People: Humans and technology in the History of the Index”, “ Reflections on the Supportive Capabilities of AIGC Technology for Indexing Services”, “ Evidence-based Authority Control of Personal Names: NACO’s Practices”, “Integrating the Scientific Data Ecosystem to Accelerate the Transformation of Information Services”, and “Data-Centric Artificial Intelligence”.

At the Roundtable on International Indexing Initiatives, representatives from various countries shared the progress of their local indexing organizations in disseminating indexing knowledge, as well as in educating, training, and certifying indexers. They discussed the challenges, current status, and future trends of indexing in the context of emerging technologies. Foreign speakers acknowledged the significant role that the CSI plays in advancing indexing initiatives in China and expressed a strong interest in enhancing collaboration. They engaged in in-depth discussions on mutual interests and addressed questions from the audience.

Roundtable: International Indexing Initiatives

Group photo

The themes of the sessions are “Intelligent Index: Techniques and Methods”, “Indexing: Theories and Practices”, “Indexing as an Enterprise: Past, Present & Future”, and “Indexing Best Practices in China”. Experts and scholars such as Prof. YE Jiyuan at Nanjing University and Prof. WANG Lancheng at National Defence University PLA China, presented their latest findings at these sessions.

Following the closing of the conference, some attendees visited Beijing Library in the company of its director, MAO Yajun.

This event, following the ICRIS Summit in October 2018, marks another international academic conference on indexing hosted by China. Over 100 participants attended the event. Heading the guest list are XU Xianchun (Director of the Information Library at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee and Executive Vice Chairman of the CSI), HOU Liqiang (Executive Deputy Director of Fudan University Library), YANG Guanghui (Deputy Director of Fudan University Library, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the CSI), TANG Tao (Deputy Director of the Research Planning Department at the Institute of Party History and Literature), LIU Qiang (Deputy Director of the Information Library at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee), and ZHANG Xiujuan (Vice Chair of the 7th CSI Council). Other Chinese attendees included LU Wei, YE Jiyuan, WANG Lancheng, JIANG Yunzhong, NIU Zhendong, QIAO Xiaodong, TONG Yunhai, YE Yanming, WANG Yang, and other indexing professionals. They were joined by international experts and scholars from indexing bodies in the US, the UK, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.