With a single mouse click, yellowed ancient books are rendered with remarkable clarity. By entering keywords, the historical context is accurately pinpointed... On March 4, the journalists learned from Xiangyang Library in Hubei Province that the library’s Ancient Books Digital Resource Library has been officially launched. Readers may access this digital repository via mobile devices or electronic terminals—either on-site at the library’s main campus in the Dongjin New Area or remotely through the internal networks of its branch libraries and municipal reading rooms—enabling them to engage directly with Xiangyang’s millennium-old cultural heritage on screen.

During an on-site experience at Xiangyang Library, the journalists found that readers only need to log in to the official website of Xiangyang Library and navigate sequentially to the “Electronic Resources” and then the “Self-Developed Resources” sections to access the “Ancient Books Digital Resource Library.” To date, the library has completed the digitization of 10 precious ancient books, comprising over 16,000 pages in total. All selected works are scarce, unique editions drawn from the library’s collection—texts with extremely limited circulation in both official and private channels—and thus hold significant literary and bibliophilic value.

“The retrieval and reading functions of the resource library are thoughtfully designed to enhance user accessibility and usability.” Huang Xuesong, Director of the Ancient Books Department at Xiangyang Library, explained that the resource library supports both precise keyword-based searching and holistic browsing of its digital ancient book collection via a structured resource list. In addition to offering flexible font-size adjustment and seamless switching between simplified and traditional Chinese character sets, the platform features an “Original View” mode, faithfully reproducing the original page layout, binding style, and typographic aesthetics of ancient books, thereby enabling readers to fully appreciate their historical craftsmanship and textual artistry.

It has been reported that for text that cannot be recognized due to physical damage to ancient books or absence from underlying databases, the platform displays a cross or placeholder box and activates annotation and error-correction functionalities. Readers may flag such instances and propose corrections; these annotations are subsequently reviewed and validated by backend specialists before being incorporated into the system to enhance recognition accuracy. Additionally, the Ancient Books Digital Resource Library Platform features an intuitive bookmarking function, enabling readers to efficiently mark and retrieve content of particular interest. Complementary tools—including chronological conversion utilities, searchable databases of historical figures and place names, and an integrated official terminology dictionary—further support in-depth scholarly engagement with ancient texts.

The journalists conducted an on-site search using the keyword “Xiangyang,” and the system promptly retrieved relevant documents—including the “Xiangyang’s Four Strategies”—and accurately displayed associated content such as “Xiangyang Commandery.” Additionally, the system enables users to clearly trace the historical evolution of the name “Xiangyang” across different administrative entities—including Xiangyang Road, Xiangyang City, and the broader Xiangyang region—offering an intuitive visualization of the toponymic transformations that Xiangyang has undergone throughout history.

“The conservation of ancient books can be categorized into primary and secondary protection. The restoration of ancient books constitutes the core component of primary protection and serves as both a prerequisite and an essential condition for their digitization.” Huang Xuesong explained that, in carrying out the digitization of ancient books, Xiangyang Library employs professional equipment and rigorously controls environmental parameters—including light exposure, temperature, and humidity—to minimize physical impact on the materials while ensuring high-quality digital output. In 2026, the library successfully secured a new project dedicated to the restoration of ancient books, laying the groundwork for the future digitization of a broader collection of ancient texts.

“Only by revitalizing ancient books can cultural heritage be effectively inherited and passed on to future generations,” Huang Xuesong stated. In the future, the Ancient Books Department will continue to promote the conservation and digitization of ancient texts, conduct in-depth research into the invaluable ancient book collections held by the library, and consistently expand the scope and depth of its digital resource repository. Concurrently, the library will regularly organize specialized public engagement initiatives—including thematic book-sharing sessions and online exhibitions—to encourage citizens to explore, appreciate, and learn about ancient texts. Through these efforts, Xiangyang’s millennium-old cultural legacy will continue to thrive and radiate renewed vitality and dynamism in the digital era.