Editorial: “Reinforcing interdisciplinary and futures-oriented thinking”

As we open the 2026 volume of Digital Library Perspectives, we find ourselves at a pivotal juncture in the evolution of information science. The “Digital Transformation” we once spoke of in future tense has matured into a complex reality, driven largely by the pervasive integration of artificial intelligence (AI).To meet the challenges of this era, I am delighted to announce a significant strengthening of Digital Library Perspectives editorial leadership. Starting with this issue, Emanuele Bellini joins us as Associate Editor. Emanuele brings a distinguished background in Cybersecurity and Resilience of sociotechnical systems, he is the initiator of the Cyber Humanities initiative and serves as Chair of the IEEE SMC Technical Committee on Cyber Humanities. His appointment is a strategic move to reinforce the Digital Library Perspectives’s commitment to interdisciplinarity and future-oriented thinking. In an age where AI reshapes how information is created, shared, and used, and the emergence of hybrid and sophisticated threats affecting the cultural heritage domain in general and the digital library domain in particular, the intersection of technical security, humanistic inquiry, and library science is no longer optional − it is the very foundation upon which the next generation of digital libraries must be built.The journey of digital libraries has been one of constant transformation. We have moved beyond the early phases of catalog automation and the mass digitization projects of the early 2000s. Today, we are immersed in a phase where AI does not merely assist in discovery but actively participates in the curation and generation of knowledge. At the same time, the hybridization of knowledge infrastructures has expanded opportunities for reuse and access while also increasing exposure to cyber threats. This technological shift, however, raises critical concerns surrounding AI ethics, algorithmic bias, and the long-term preservation and protection of the integrity of digital cultural assets.By integrating cybersecurity expertise with the cyber humanities perspective, we aim to address the “AI readiness” of our field holistically. As recent research has highlighted, readiness is not a binary state but a multidimensional spectrum involving leadership, governance, ethical frameworks, professional competencies, and institutional infrastructure. Emanuele’s vision will help us navigate the risks of this transformation while harnessing its potential to enhance information equity and democratic access to knowledge.A core argument of this new editorial phase is the recognition of digital libraries as socio-technical systems embedded within dense networks of relations with other systems and agents forming a Networked Ecosystem of Ecosystems (NEoE). Thus, rather than constituting isolated ecosystems, digital libraries operate as critical nodes in a broader web of interdependencies with other nodes, recently defined by the literature as Cultural Cyber-Critical Ecosystem (C3E). Within this ecosystem, digital libraries are not merely assemblages of hardware and software; they function as dynamic institutional nodes where technologies and human communities interact in tightly coupled ways to fulfill a shared mission of preserving, protecting and mediating trustworthy digital heritage.This perspective demands that we ask different questions. Rather than “What can this technology do?” we must ask “How does this technology serve our communities?” and “What problems can we solve together?” The sociotechnical lens reveals that every technical decision − from metadata schemas to AI recommendation algorithms − carries social implications that ripple through communities. In the face of the AI revolution, the mission of the digital library must remain rooted in its social purpose. We view these systems as vital instruments for responding to community problems: bridging the digital divide, providing safe spaces for AI literacy development, ensuring that local heritage is protected against cyber-cognitive threats and digital obsolescence, supporting lifelong learning in an age of rapid technological change, and safeguarding trustworthiness and intellectual freedom in an era of algorithmic curation.The digital library, reimagined as a sociotechnical ecosystem, serves as a catalyst for community resilience − a trusted partner that helps communities navigate uncertainty, preserve their cultural memory, and participate meaningfully in the digital age. The papers presented in this issue serve as vital case studies in this ongoing evolution.For instance, in an area critical to the future of academic support, we present the following papers.ZibaniI, Patiswa; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny; Naicker, Nalen; Marimuthu, FerinaIn this study, the authors from the Durban University of Technology (DUT) address the pivotal role of Research Data Management (RDM) in scientific advancement. The authors explore RDM practices, along with existing challenges and opportunities, from the perspectives of master’s and doctoral students and research supervisors in DUT’s Faculty of Accounting and Informatics. The study’s ultimate objective is to facilitate researchers by designing a specialized RDM repository platform tailored for the unique context of a University of Technology.Nakitare, Joel; Mathangani, Salome; Kamau, GraceThis study examines the current status of Research Data Management (RDM) practices within Kenyan universities, emphasizing the data-intensive phases of the research life cycle model. The research highlights the growing importance of RDM in ensuring data integrity, accessibility and long-term preservation in academic institutions. The methodology employed a multiple case study design, selecting six universities (three public and three private) based on criteria like Webometrics ranking, age, size, and discipline.Mapulanga, Patrick; Baudin, HanlieThis study aimed to assess the current eRKC research support services at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in Pretoria, South Africa. The primary objectives were to evaluate the services’ adequacy in supporting HSRC researchers, identify any gaps, and determine which additional services should be implemented to enhance the eRKC’s effectiveness.Hernandez Vallejo, Felipe; Vallejo-Sierra, Ruth; Pirela Morillo, JohanA comparative analysis of the Open Science practices most used by Colombian researchers in different areas of knowledge, from which the meanings and nature of each area are correlated to propose a basis set of indicators for the monitoring and evaluation of Open Science.Vállez, Mari; Alcaraz-Martínez, Rubén; Lopezosa, CarlosThis research explores how universities address the topic of artificial intelligence through the web content they produce and its resulting visibility in search engines. The study’s primary aim is to evaluate the communication strategies of thirty universities by analyzing their highest-ranking published content on Google. By measuring the visibility and impact of this content using web analysis tools, the authors seek to identify patterns and areas for improvement in the digital dissemination strategies of these academic institutions.Barbuti, Nicola; Caldarola, TommasoThis paper presents the ongoing research for the development and testing of an automatic image classification model specifically designed for digital libraries, which is based on Complex Neural Networks. After outlining the state-of-the-art for digital resource classification, the paper details the model’s research and design, as well as the pilot implementation workflow. Finally, preliminary research results are assessed, considering that experimentation is still underway to evaluate the potential integration of AI tools to enhance model performance.Butt, Faiqa; Malik, Amara; Mahmood, KhalidThis study aims to assess university students’ proficiency across the four measured domains of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy: awareness, usage, evaluation, and ethics. It also enlists students’ choices of frequently used AI tools. A cross-sectional survey approach was employed to assess the AI literacy of university students, utilizing a structured questionnaire. Data were collected from 733 university students who were enrolled in five major academic disciplines.Pang, Huishan; Ge, Ying; Tang, Lian; Xia, Lu; Su, WenliangThis study systematically examines the evolution, core themes, and developmental trends of public library research from a user experience perspective. Its aim is to reveal the academic dynamics, international landscape, and research hotspots in this field, thereby providing theoretical insights for optimizing and enhancing service innovation and user satisfaction in public libraries.Islam, Md. Anwarul; Bari, WasimulThe objective of this study is to explore the information needs of graduate students, the sources they use, and the factors that influence their choice of information sources before studying abroad. This study targets graduate students who completed their undergraduate degrees at the University of Dhaka.Meng, Yuan; Qiu, YuanThe study aims to create an optimized ChatGLM model − JG-ChatGLM − for the Library Intelligent Question-Answering System through a constructivist theory lens to improve its professional ability and communicative competence. The study integrates constructivism theories to construct JG-ChatGLM as the process of corpus feeding, constructing, fine-tuning, and evaluating.Dondi, Cristina; Tammaro, Anna MariaCristina Dondi in this interview addresses the transformative impact of digitization and the potential of artificial intelligence on tracking the history of the book. While acknowledging these advances, she stresses the foundational importance of high-quality, connected cataloguing and the continuing need for new scholars to gain direct, physical experience with heritage collections.As we welcome Emanuele Bellini to the editorial team, we reaffirm our commitment for Digital Library Perspectives to being a platform where rigorous scholarship meets practical innovation, where technical expertise engages with humanistic inquiry, and where “future thinking from the past” informs the innovations of tomorrow.Anna Maria TammaroEditor in ChiefEmanuele BelliniAssociate Editor