Chen Li's abstract
 
Studying Chinese History in the Age of Big Data and Digital Humanities: Advantages and Challenges
 
As a historian of comparative law, empire, and late imperial and modern China, Professor Chen at the University of Toronto has done extensive research in libraries and archives in a number of countries, including the United States, Britain, China and Canada. In the talk, he shares his experience dealing with the changes and challenges caused by rapid development in digital technology over the last ten years or so. How has digital technology shaped the way a China historian may think about potential research projects? How have the recent technological changes made research experience different? What can academic libraries do to embrace or take advantage of such changes? Professor Chen hopes to have fruitful conversations with other researchers, librarians and archivists about how to better prepare for the advantages and challenges of the digital age.
 
作为一个研究比较法、帝国、和明清及近代中国史的学者，多伦多大学的陈利教授将分享个人十多年来研究过程中所体会到的数字技术革新对当代历史学者在学术研究上的影响。 陈教授先后在包括美国、英国、中国和加拿大等多个国家的图书馆和档案馆中做过不少研究。近年来的数字技术发展是如何影响了中国史学者选择自己的研究题目？这些技术革新如何影响了历史材料的收集和整理并从而改变了历史学者开展研究的方式？学术研究型图书馆可以如何更好帮助学者迎接技术革新带来的挑战和机遇？陈教授期待同其他学术界和图书馆及档案馆的同事及专家进行深入探讨和富有成效的对话。