@article{ART003317729},
author={Lim, jeonghoon and Kim Sun Tae},
title={Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI},
journal={Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science},
issn={1229-2435},
year={2026},
volume={37},
number={1},
pages={287-310},
doi={10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287}
TY - JOUR
AU - Lim, jeonghoon
AU - Kim Sun Tae
TI - Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI
JO - Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science
PY - 2026
VL - 37
IS - 1
PB - Journal Of The Korean Biblia Society For Library And Information Science
SP - 287
EP - 310
SN - 1229-2435
AB - This study aims to experimentally analyze the performance of a hybrid search system that combines keyword-based and vector-based retrieval, utilizing the Knowledge Information Database accumulated through the National Library of Korea’s “Ask a Librarian” collaborative digital reference service. The dataset consists of 5,898 question-answer records from the Knowledge Information Database, categorized according to the ten main classes of the Korean Decimal Classification (KDC). The search system was implemented in a Python-based experimental environment, employing an inverted-index-based full-text search engine (Whoosh) for keyword retrieval and a sentence-embedding-based vector database (ChromaDB) for vector retrieval. A total of 100 test queries were constructed, with 10 queries for each of the 10 main classes, and both the proposed system and the “Ask a Librarian” service were invoked under identical conditions to collect the top 10 results and response times. The results showed that the proposed system achieved a mean response time of 0.21 seconds and a 100% search success rate, demonstrating stable retrieval performance, whereas the “Ask a Librarian” service recorded a mean response time of 13.12 seconds and an 81% search success rate. This study experimentally confirmed that the hybrid search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) approach is more effective than the existing method in terms of search success rate and retrieval stability, and suggests future research directions including the application of Korean-language-specific embedding models and the expansion of relevance-based evaluation frameworks.
KW - Digital Reference Service;Ask a Librarian;Hybrid Search;Vector Search;RAG
DO - 10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
ER -
Lim, jeonghoon and Kim Sun Tae. (2026). Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI. Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science, 37(1), 287-310.
Lim, jeonghoon and Kim Sun Tae. 2026, "Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI", Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science, vol.37, no.1 pp.287-310. Available from: doi:10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon, Kim Sun Tae "Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI" Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science 37.1 pp.287-310 (2026) : 287.
Lim, jeonghoon, Kim Sun Tae. Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI. 2026; 37(1), 287-310. Available from: doi:10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon and Kim Sun Tae. "Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI" Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science 37, no.1 (2026) : 287-310.doi: 10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon; Kim Sun Tae. Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI. Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science, 37(1), 287-310. doi: 10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon; Kim Sun Tae. Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI. Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science. 2026; 37(1) 287-310. doi: 10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon, Kim Sun Tae. Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI. 2026; 37(1), 287-310. Available from: doi:10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
Lim, jeonghoon and Kim Sun Tae. "Advancing Digital Reference Services through a Hybrid RAG-Based Model: Integrating the “Ask a Librarian” Knowledge Base with Generative AI" Journal of the Korean Biblia Society for Library and Information Science 37, no.1 (2026) : 287-310.doi: 10.14699//kbiblia.2026.37.1.287
