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This paper focuses on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic library operations. In the quest to render fast, effective and efficient services, academic libraries have adopted different technologies in the past. Artificial intelligence technologies is the latest among the technologies currently being introduced in libraries. The technology which is considered an intelligent system, come in the form of robots and expert systems which have natural language processing, machine learning and pattern recognition capabilities. This paper examined the features of AI, the application of AI to library operations, examples of academic libraries with AI technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa, the need for AI in libraries and the challenges associated with the adoption of AI in libraries. The study concluded that AI holds a lot of prospects for the improvement of information services delivery in African academic libraries. Consequently, its adoption is a sinequanon to delivering robust library services in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as an innovative technology with the potential to revolutionize various industries including libraries and information science. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance services, improve efficiency, and enhance user experience. This study utilizes a bibliometric approach to comprehensively analyze current research on AI in academic libraries (AI in ALs). This study employed bibliometric indicators to identify key trends, patterns, and research gaps in the existing literature. A comprehensive dataset of 373 research papers on AI in ALs published between 2002 and 2022 was collected and analyzed using the Scopus database. Various bibliometric tools, such as Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and BibExcel, have enhanced this analysis. The findings of this study provide important insights. By 2022, there were 64 publications, constituting 17.16% of the total corpus, accompanied by 65 citations. In contrast, 2019 witnessed only 33 publications yet accumulated a substantial number of citations, amounting to 294, representing 8.85% of the overall citations. Conference papers exhibited the highest frequency among different publication types, with 165 publications, whereas journal articles had the highest citation count, accumulating 217 citations. Geographically, China emerged as the leading contributor with 119 publications, and Wuhan University stood out as the most prominent affiliation. Notably, the "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" series emerged as the most prolific source title, publishing 15 articles, of which eight were cited. The authors Wang J., Wang C., and Wang X. from China demonstrated significant contributions, consistently publishing four papers annually from 2010 to 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing integration of AI tools like Yewno Discover, Scholarcy, and Grammarly in academic libraries, undergraduate research has witnessed transformative changes. These tools, while elevating the research process, also bring forth challenges rooted in ethics and application. This paper explores the synergy between modern technology and academic exploration, highlighting the benefits and potential pitfalls of using AI in the research workflow. It emphasizes that while Yewno Discover and similar tools offer streamlined navigation of vast information databases, it is imperative for undergraduates to remain cognizant of potential biases and other ethical considerations. This paper underscores the need for proactive measures in academic settings, including specialized training and policy development, to ensure that undergraduate researchers harness the power of AI responsibly and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a new technology, as many industries have been using it for years. Recently, it has become a more available asset to university students and faculty. Due to this interest, guidelines and practices are being established in universities and academic libraries on how best to use AI. This paper covers some of the challenges currently facing academia when it comes to AI and the various ways AI can benefit academic libraries in teaching, collection services, and aspects of accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022 ignited a sensation in the academic community, leaving many astounded by its capabilities. This new release more closely emulates human responses than its predecessors. Among its remarkable capabilities, it can answer questions, catalog items in MARC21, recommend reading lists, and make suggestions on a wide array of topics. To assess ChatGPT’s efficacy in aiding library users, the authors of this paper conducted an experiment comparing ChatGPT’s performance with that of librarians in answering reference questions. Thirty questions were randomly selected from the transaction log of the reference inquiries between June 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023 at the Rider University Libraries. These queries constituted 34% of the total user questions during this two-month period. The authors compared the answers by ChatGPT and those by reference librarians for their accuracy, relevance, and friendliness. The findings indicate that reference librarians markedly outperformed their robotic counterpart. An evident issue arises from ChatGPT’s deficiency in understanding local policies and practices. This consequently hinders its ability to provide satisfactory answers in those areas. OpenAI posits that ChatGPT’s proficiency can be enhanced through targeted fine-tuning using locally specific information. At the moment, ChatGPT remains a great tool for librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of libraries in preparing students to thrive during their studies and innovate after university is growing in importance. Information is more easily accessible through digital channels and is increasingly abundant. Generative Artificial intelligence (AI) adds to this reality and increases the need for digitally driven information literacy skills. This paper aims to guide librarians by discussing the digitalization of information creation, retrieval, and use. It recommends the training of both digital and information literacy for students. Librarians are called upon to provide clear guidelines to their universities to steer the use of generative AI. The implications of digital information sources and generative AI are discussed with the role of librarians in context. Information literacy and digital literacy are related. Academic libraries should include digital topics in information literacy training. Information literacy should be trained at the start of university education and before students begin dissertation writing. University libraries should propose guidelines for the use of generative artificial intelligence tools by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, with the rapid advancement of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots have become omnipresent across sectors like e-commerce, travel, hospitality, banking, EdTech, etc.; but they still haven't been predominantly adopted by academic libraries. This paper reports on a qualitative study aimed to explore the perceived risks and challenges behind the adoption of chatbots in libraries and how chatbots could help deliver superior experience to all library users as well as stakeholders. We conducted interviews with multiple stakeholders of academic libraries: the library staff, doctoral students and the faculty, to understand their perspectives on the adoption of Chatbots. We used CAQDAS NVIVO 12 content analysis software to analyse the interview transcripts. Our findings suggest that the majority of the stakeholders we interviewed favour the adoption of chatbots, as they believe that integrating chatbot technology with an existing library information system could deliver diverse services, which in turn would help in research and scholarly communication. However, 'perceived risk' with respect to employing chatbots among stakeholders was high. Also, the stakeholders raised some serious concerns with respect to privacy intrusion by chatbots, and with respect to chatbots' comprehension of task complexity, which are issues that must be addressed by chatbot developers while designing them, specifically for libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines through a systematic review, the reference services rendered in academic libraries using artificial intelligence (AI) and by collecting data through environmental scanning. The objective of this systematic literature review is to provide a synthesis of empirical studies exploring the application of artificial intelligence for reference services in academic libraries. Data were collected from Web of Science, Scopus, and LISA databases. Following the rigorous/established selection process, a total of thirty five articles were finally selected, reviewed and analyzed. Thirty five papers were identified, analyzed and summarized on the subject relating to the application of AI and the methods which are most often used. The findings demonstrate that university libraries in Canada and China are leading in the deployment of AI for reference services. The AI techniques used mostly in the scanned university libraries are self-directed learning and natural language processing techniques; while the challenges of using AI for reference services are the problem of quality intelligence, linguistic style, privacy, a threat to intellectual freedom, bias, and cost; inadequate experts, poor network, poor training and lack of innovation, and limited knowledge about the technology. The study indicates university libraries take into account implementing AI for reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A library's website is the virtual front door for many of our users. Libraries offer online assistance in several ways, including a variety of options to request help. Live chat and email services are not new, but the recent development of chatbots provides opportunities to rethink and enhance online support. While some chatbots or virtual assistants generate automatic and custom responses to user input, this paper explores the implementation of a rules-based chatbot, where all responses have been input and configured by library staff. Details are provided to describe the process before, during, and after the initial implementation with data and observations from the pilot in mid-2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a defining technology of the 21st century, creating new opportunities for academic libraries. The goal of this paper is to provide a much-needed analysis, interpreted in an international context, on what the leaders of academic libraries in East-Central Europe, and specifically in Hungary, think about AI and its implementation in a library setting. The survey shows that according to library directors AI is more of an opportunity for academic libraries than a threat, and it could provide support in all areas of library operation, including digitising, information service, and education. Findings indicate that a quarter of the Hungarian academic libraries surveyed use AI-supported solutions, mostly in the areas of information retrieval and data processing. Using Rogers (The diffusion of innovations. 5th ed. The Free Press, 2003) diffusion of innovation model, it may be projected that an explosive growth is to be expected in the use of AI in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the majority of digital assistants, including chatbots, have been assigned names, voices, visual representations, and even "personalities" that are stereotypically feminine and reflect patriarchal ideology. This cross-sectional descriptive study of chatbots associated with large academic libraries in the United States found that there are few extant library chatbots, and in a major departure from trends, there are even fewer that are gendered. This is promising, in that it signals—whether intentionally or not—that the practices of creators and adopters are countering entrenched tendencies to typecast digital assistants as women, which may signal more feminist and gender-inclusive technology design to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the development of a custom chatbot for Zayed University Library (United Arab Emirates) using Python and the ChatGPT API. The chatbot, named Aisha, was designed to provide quick and efficient reference and support services to students and faculty outside the library's regular operating hours. The article also discusses the benefits of chatbots in academic libraries, and reviews the early literature on ChatGPT's applicability in this field. The article describes the development process, perceived capabilities and limitations of the bot, and plans for further development. This project represents the first fully reported attempt to explore the potential of a ChatGPT-based bot in academic libraries, and provides insights into the future of AI-based chatbot technology in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ChatGPT is a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that has been gathering significant attention since its release at the end of 2022. There are many reasons for the onslaught of discussion in the news media and academia, but principal among them is the fact that ChatGPT produces seemingly believable, coherent content with superhuman speed and efficiency, from creating computer code to penning a college-level essay. ChatGPT and similar technologies are improving by the day, and will only become more pervasive. Librarians and other information professionals need to understand this AI's uses and limitations, and, when appropriate, must adjust their practices to reflect the reality of easy-to-use AI tools that are accessible to the masses. This breakthrough technology may require educational institutions to change the way they approach information literacy, adjust teaching practices and assignments, and update honor codes. Libraries may see impacts on reference practices, collection development, and metadata creation and transformation. Those who are able to embrace and innovate with the technology may bring efficiencies and value to their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the perspectives of librarians on the awareness and readiness of academic libraries to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for library operations and services in Nigeria. Six libraries were drawn from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. An open-ended questionnaire posted to the respondents through the mail was used for data collection. Collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the Nigerian academic libraries are aware of the integration of AI systems in libraries and how it is now being adopted and used in many academic libraries around the globe. However, this is not so in the Nigerian context. The findings also reveal that the librarians have mixed feelings about the readiness of academic libraries to integrate AI systems into library operations and services. Based on the librarian perception, the result implies that integration of AI in library operation and services will take the library to the next level by reducing human errors due to repetitiveness in library tasks, and if care is not taken, AI system might take their job role. The challenges reported that academic libraries in Nigeria may likely face the problem of funding, inadequate experts, limited power supply, limited budget to procure the technology and training personnel that will be in charge of the system maintenance. The study recommends the need for adequate funding for libraries to be able to procure, AI and other information and communication technology infrastructure; and recruitment of librarians with relevant requisite skills to work with the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details librarian roles in applying traditional information knowledge and skills while co-developing a Living Knowledge Literature Review System (LKS). Increasing literature volumes and timelines for evidence synthesis risk industry decisions being informed by outdated data. Living reviews and synthesis challenge these models but include processes which can be streamlined. The LKS semi-automates literature review processes in particular knowledge domains using a novel machine learning algorithm. The LKS aims to distinguish relevant from irrelevant search results from conventional library searches, delivering outputs to researchers for summarisation and dissemination via a community targeted, purpose-built living evidence online portal (SEED POD). LKS screening accuracy is continuously improved through researcher and end-user feedback to create a more precise, semi-automated, living literature review system. Working closely with development teams and researchers in Social Early Emotional Development (SEED), librarians applied traditional information and searching knowledge into a new automation context, assisting in research question refinement, literature search development and licencing advice to build and optimise LKS functioning. Librarian input was highly valued in LKS production and optimisation. Including librarians in projects concerning automated evidence synthesis can enhance outcomes and lead to continued consultation and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of new public citation databases, available free of charge and accessible on the open web, are offering researchers a new place to start their searching, providing an alternative to Google Scholar and library resources. These new "public discovery services" index significant portions of scholarly literature, then differentiate themselves by applying technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, to create results sets that are promoted as more meaningful, easier to navigate, and more engaging than other discovery options. Additionally, these new public discovery services are adopting new linking technologies that connect researchers from citation records to full text content licensed on their behalf by their affiliated libraries. With these new sites logging millions of sessions a month, they present unique opportunities for libraries to connect to researchers working outside the library and challenges in how the library can make itself obvious in the user workflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library Technical Services have benefited from numerous stimuli. Although initially looked at with suspicion, transitions such as the move from catalog cards to the MARC formats have proven enormously helpful to libraries and their patrons. Linked data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hold the same promise. Through the conversion of metadata surrogates (cataloging) to linked open data, libraries can represent their resources on the Semantic Web. But in order to provide some form of controlled access to unstructured data, libraries must reach beyond traditional cataloging to new tools such as AI to provide consistent access to a growing world of full-text resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in developed countries, this study investigates the awareness and perception about artificial intelligence in the management of university libraries in Nigeria. The study is a survey design that is based on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The population of the study comprised eighty academic librarians from eight purposively selected university libraries in the country. The finding of the study revealed that academic librarians are aware of the existence of AI usage in the university libraries and that the fear of job loss is the major constraint they face in the adoption of the technologies; even though they are aware that the innovative technologies will enable efficient user satisfaction. The study recommends the need for academic librarians to make themselves relevant in this era of the fourth industrial revolution, by acquiring necessary skills that are in line with the technologies. It is also critical that library management educate academic librarians to understand that the adoption of AI in the library does not translate to the loss of jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated indexing--using a computer to look at individual documents and assign metadata without a person looking at every document--was used to build an interactive online database to store and retrieve pages from a loose-leaf resource (i.e., a resource that changes state over time). A database was designed and more than 30,000 pages in the database were indexed. Digitization, optical character recognition, and computer scripting to extract metadata were the methods used to assign most metadata. In places where the computer program could not assign metadata, a person looked at the document and assigned metadata. The index was audited for errors. The computer script and the human indexer had comparable error rates but computer indexing spent much less time per value assigned. It is recommended that automated indexing be considered in indexing projects, especially where a large number of similar documents are to be indexed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]