Reinterpreting the Smart Library Model: Technological Integration, Spatial Design, and User Experience at Shanghai Library East
Abstract
This study examines the operations of Shanghai Library East through the theoretical lenses of the smart library concept and Library 4.0, with particular attention to the relationship between technological infrastructure, spatial design, user-centered service delivery, and the Chinese cultural policy context. The research adopts a qualitative single-case study approach based on the systematic analysis and thematic synthesis of institutional and scholarly sources.
The findings indicate that the institution's “intelligence” does not derive from the isolated presence of individual technologies, but from their systemic integration. Automated collection handling, RFID infrastructure, a FOLIO-based library services environment, digital information retrieval, indoor navigation, and self-service and robotic solutions are integrated with flexible physical spaces and user experience (UX) to form a unified service environment. The study further shows that technological adaptation at the scale of a mega-library is accompanied by a transformation of spatial functionality, reflected in the architectural concept of “from collection to connection”.
The paper also contextualizes the project within China's broader development of digital and cultural infrastructure. The soft power perspective is not treated as a directly demonstrated institutional objective, but rather as an interpretive framework for considering the Shanghai Library East's potential role in the international cultural and technological representation of contemporary China. The study additionally addresses digital inclusion, privacy, and the human implications of automation as critical issues. While the case does not support the formulation of a universally transferable “Shanghai Library model”, it provides a relevant example for examining the technological, spatial, service, and human dimensions of smart libraries as an integrated system.
Keywords:
digital library, user experience, Shanghai Library East, smart library, library innovationCitation data from Crossref
References
ASPECT Studios. (n.d.). Shanghai Library East Landscape Design. ASPECT Studios.
Aukia, J. (2019) Struggling for Recognition? Strategic Disrespect in China’s Pursuit of Soft Power, East Asia, 36(4), p. 305–320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-019-09323-9
Bibliotheca (2023) Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) for Modern Public Libraries. Bibliotheca White Paper, Saint Paul. Elérhető: https://www.bibliotheca.com (Utolsó elérés: 2026. 09. 10.)
Bowen, G. A. (2009) Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method, Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), p. 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Braun, V., Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), p. 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cao, G., Liang, M., & Li, X. (2018) How to make the library smart? The conceptualization of the smart library, The Electronic Library, 36(5), p. 811–825. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-11-2017-0248
Denzin, N. K. (1978) The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods. 2. kiadás. McGraw-Hill, New York. ISBN 978-0070163614
Fan, R. (2023). Smart services that enhance reader’s user experience – Taking the Shanghai Library East as an example. Journal of Japan Society of Information and Knowledge, 33(4), 373–383. https://doi.org/10.2964/jsik_2023_036
Gul, S., Bano, S. (2019) Smart libraries: an emerging and innovative technological habitat of 21st century, The Electronic Library, 37(5), p. 764–783. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-02-2019-0052
Jochumsen, H., Hvenegaard Rasmussen, C., Skot‐Hansen, D. (2012) The four spaces – a new model for the public library, New Library World, 113(11-12), p. 586–597. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074801211282948
Kuhar, M., Merčun, T. (2022) Exploring user experience in digital libraries through questionnaire and eye-tracking data, Library & Information Science Research, 44(3), 101175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2022.101175
Lankes, R. D. (2016) The new librarianship field guide. MIT Press, Cambridge. ISBN 9780262529082
Lengyelné Molnár, T. (2022) A könyvtárak digitális ökoszisztémája. Gondolat Kiadó, Budapest. ISBN 9789635561971
McCarthy, E. (2019) Developing digital audience frameworks for Oxford’s GLAM. Performance Measurement and Metrics, 20(3), p. 179–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/PMM-09-2019-0042
National Development and Reform Commission [NDRC]. (2022) The 14th Five-Year Plan for Public Services, Central People's Government.
Noh, Y. (2015) Imagining Library 4.0: Creating a Model for Future Libraries, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(6), p. 786–797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2015.08.020
Oldenburg, R. (1999) The great good place. Marlowe & Company, New York ISBN 9781569246818
Patton, M. Q. (1999). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis, Health Services Research, 34(5 Pt 2), p. 1189–1208.
Peng, W. (2023) From Digitization to Transformation: The Shanghai Library Journey through the Evolution of DX – A Case Study Analysis. Journal of Japan Society of Information and Knowledge, 33(4), p. 356–364. https://doi.org/10.2964/jsik_2023_034
Priestner, A., Borg, M. (Eds.). (2016) User Experience in Libraries: Applying Ethnography and Human-Centred Design. Routledge, London. ISBN 9781472484727
Qin, S., Dai, B., Gao, X., & Xu, N. (2023). Strategic vision for high-quality development of libraries under the overall layout of “Digital China.” Library Tribune, 43(6), 5–17.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. (n.d.). Shanghai Library East. Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects.
Schöpfel, J. (2018) Smart Libraries. Infrastructures, 3(4), Article 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures3040043
Shahzad, K., Khan, S. A., Iqbal, A. (2024) Impact of augmented reality on libraries: A systematic literature review, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 57(4), p. 977–990. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006241259492
Shanghai Library. (2022). Notice on the trial operation of Shanghai Library East. Shanghai Library.
Shanghai Library. (n.d.). Shanghai Library East Overview and Services. Shanghai Library.
Xi, Q., Wu, W., Zhang, T., Hu, W., & Ni, F. (2017). Applying a Mobile Social Medium: WeChat in Provincial Public Libraries in China. Science & Technology Libraries, 36(4), 415–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2017.1389669
Yin, R. K. (2018) Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.), SAGE Publications, Los Angeles ISBN 9781506336169
Zhou, G., Zhang, C., Ji, T., Zhou, J., & Zhang, Z. (2023) FOLIO Successfully Goes Alive in the Largest Public Library in China, International Journal of Librarianship, 8(1), p. 3–10. https://doi.org/10.23974/ijol.2023.vol8.1.288
