“Avatarization” of Library and Information Services (How a Fairy Tale Came True)

This article presents an analysis of the problem of modeling and using digital twins (avatars) in library and information services (LIS). Based on a terminological analysis of the concepts of “avatar”, “cyberphysical system” (CFS), “virtual librarian”, and “digital twin”, the following conceptual models are proposed: a) the digital twin of a librarian; c) the integration of avatar technology into LIS (“avatarization”). Two approaches to LIS “avatarization” are identified: a) deductive and b) inductive. The existing experience in digital modeling of individual library processes is analyzed according to the levels of the integration of avatar technology into LIS identified by the author. The following theoretical methods are applied in the study: a) terminological analysis of concepts; b) document analysis to characterize the extent to which the issue has been studied and the specifics of using cyberphysical modeling in library and information services; c) typological analysis of AI systems and AI agents to identify the prospects for their use as digital twins in library practice. A contradiction has been identified between the lack of a unified approach to interpreting the concept of “a digital twin of a librarian” and the need to fill this term with a uniform meaning that would be shared by the majority of the professional library community. The study highlights the discrepancies in current interpretations of the results of integration of virtual technologies into LIS and proposes an original interpretation of the library as a cyberphysical system in the context of LIS “avatarization”.