ATU faculty member explores the future of "Smart Books" in new publication

Report by Directorate for International Academic Cooperation—

English report by Rasoul Firouzi

Dr Mehdi Alipour Hafezi, a faculty member at the Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU), has authored a significant new chapter titled "From E-books to Intelligent Content: Advancing Smart Book Development in Digital Libraries," published in the edited volume Digital Library - Concepts, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Published on 16 January 2026, Dr Alipour Hafezi’s work offers a forward-looking analysis of the evolution of digital reading materials and traces the trajectory from static electronic texts to context-aware, adaptive publications known as "smart books."

In this chapter, Dr Alipour Hafezi examines how semantic enrichment techniques, machine-readable markup, and linked data are transforming simple text into intelligent content. These advanced formats are capable of suggesting related materials, summarizing complex passages, and supporting targeted searches, thereby significantly enhancing the user experience in digital libraries.

The study also surveys adaptive reading systems that customize layout and content delivery based on reader behavior and accessibility needs. Through case studies in academic and public digital libraries, the chapter demonstrates how these technologies improve engagement and discoverability. Furthermore, it addresses critical technical challenges such as interoperability, metadata quality, and privacy concerns, offering best practices for integrating smart book technologies into existing platforms.

This contribution is part of the volume edited by Dr Shuzhen Zhao, which addresses the emerging trends and research directions shaping the next generation of intelligent reading experiences. The publication is available online with DOI 10.5772/intechopen.1014168.