An early or somewhat late ChatGPT guide for librarians

 Posted by: Joe Mullins

APA Citation:

Hall, B., & McKee, J. (2024). An early or somewhat late ChatGPT guide for librarians. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 29(1), 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/08963568.2024.2303944 

Summary:

    This article presents an up-to-date guide (this summary was written in December of 2024) of ChatGPT in respect to librarians and their work. Acknowledging the current immense usership of ChatGPT by society, Hall and McKee recognize the need for better education, workshop, and general discussion on the stalwart AI tool, particularly for information professionals. However, in this article not only do the authors advocate for research on AI and education of information professionals on ChatGPT but also highlight the importance of caution in using these tools due to limitations. Ultimately, they assert that libraries and librarians alike must stay current and share information with peers on the usages of AI as well as alert their colleagues and patrons to the softwares pitfalls and how to overcome challenges when using the tool.

Evaluation

    This article does a great job in exploring the current design of ChatGPT and advocating and calling on information professionals to become educated in the AI platform to better understand the applications uses and pitfalls. After providing a cursory overview of the popularity and usership of ChatGPT, the article then provides a great literature review of trending and noteworthy articles, workshops, and videos created by university libraries on the software – please see below the evaluation for an attached version of this reading & watching list. Following this literature review, the article then begins to provide a well written piece surveying and demonstrating the uses of ChatGPT as well as acknowledging the pitfalls of the software. They first describe some of the uses of the AI software in detail, which includes assistance in developing curricula, summarizing content, investigating websites, creating rubrics, topic ideation and brainstorming, analyzing and visualizing basic data, crafting social media posts, reviewing content, and writing code. Equally they also present the pitfalls of ChatGPT, highlighting its inability to adequately fact-check, cite sources, analyze and visualize complex data, evaluate or analyze current events, and incorporate or analyze private information. After providing this well thought review of functions and inabilities of ChatGPT, the authors then reassert their argument that it is imperative that information professionals and libraries must stay current and share information with their peers on the usages of ChatGPT – although this could be applied to all comparable AI softwares – and to educate their peers and library users on accurate information about ChatGPT, and especially its pitfalls. Overall, it is a well written and researched article that information professionals should read to ensure education on AI, and ChatGPT especially, is in their tool belt. In the current digital age washed with misinformation, an article highlighting the correct uses and detriments of AI is a valuable tool to have stored in one’s arsenal.

Attachment of Articles Reading and Watching List:

ALA Connect (American Library Association [ALA], 2023) for “ChatGPT” returns 60 “Discussion Threads”

“ChatGPT and Other AI Tools: A Guide for Faculty,” including pages for “ChatGPT/AI Use Cases & Strategies in Higher Education” 

“Readings, Podcasts, and Other Information about ChatGPT and AI” (Wayne State University Libraries, 2023).

In April 2023, the University of Washington community hosted a panel discussion, “Demystifying ChatGPT for Academics” (UW Video, 2023). 

Texas State University (Vaverek, 2023)

Stony Brook University (Kennedy, 2023)

Brown University (Morton-Aiken, n.d.)

DePauw University (Gilson, 2023)

Northern Illinois University (ChatGPT and Education | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, n.d.)

University of Minnesota (Matts-Benson, 2023)

New York University (Dai, 2023)

University of Georgia (Chaturvedi, 2023)