AI and Libraries - A Brief Discussion

Lund, B.D. and Wang, T. (2023), "Chatting about ChatGPT: how may AI and GPT impact 

academia and libraries?", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 26-29. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-01-2023-0009

Summary:

ChatGPT has considerable and worrying advantages for those in the library profession to be able to use in the coming years. It is important to note the ways in which to use ChatGPT and other AI technologies responsibly and understand the ethical implications that may occur when abusing the new and updating technology. Utilizing GPT as well as other AI programs can save on a librarian's time throughout the day, but it should never be the deciding factor on any decisions for a library. It is a great research tool and can be used to improve academic libraries, but there are drawbacks like any tool that librarians should be aware of.

Review:

I found the article rather insightful. I don't usually utilize AI tools in my day to day just because of the risk that they pose on potentially being wrong. I do think the article was insightful on both the dangers and the positives for AI usage, specifically that of ChatGPT which tends to be the most common AI tool so far. There is always going to be bias, whether it be human or AI standards, but again that is when we don't just focus on one person or tool to be the deciding factor when it comes to decision making for a whole library population.

-Smothers, Kelsey

Reading Backwards

Langstraat, Carina

Bernier, A. (2011). On Reading Academic Literature (Strategically). [Lecture]. Retrieved from

San Jose State University INFO 285-14 Canvas site

Summary:

Bernier’s article tells you how to absorb vast amounts of information as quickly as possible.  It is geared toward how to accomplish this when doing research, but is applicable to life at large.  It's approach is basic and straightforward in nature.  No one is assuming I already know all this just because I am in information school.  His approach boils down to reading the conclusion of an article first and then the introduction.  When doing research, this allows you to quickly decide if the article is worth pursuing.  Seems obvious but this approach has been a game changer for me.

Evaluation:

The Bernier article on how to read academic literature is one of the best pieces of information I’ve read since I’ve been at SJSU.  When I started this program, reading strategically wasn’t as much a choice on my part, but a survival skill.  In my first semester, I wanted to immerse myself, get as much as I could out of the program, etc.  But with the amount of assigned reading combined with necessary research reading, it quickly became apparent that reading, as Bernier says, in a “once upon a time” fashion, wasn’t going to work.  What Bernier’s article has done for me is to relieve me of the guilt of strategic reading, instead emboldening me to enhance those skills.  For example, I’ve always read the abstract, the introduction, and then the conclusion in order to decide if the article was a keeper.  Doing it the other way around makes more sense because it’s a more direct route to the author’s punch line.

Let's teach students how to use Wikipedia for research

Schlatter, Rebecca
INFO 266, Fall 2016

Polk, T., Johnston, M. & Evers, S.(2015). Wikipedia Use in Research:  Perceptions in Secondary Schools.Tech Trends 59(3) pgs 92-102. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-015-0858-6

Summary:

The authors of this study wanted to determine if the use of Wikipedia by secondary students impacted the quality of research submitted by students, and thus led schools to developing policies to limit the use of Wikipedia.  The findings revealed that very few schools had enacted any such policy, though teachers did often tell students Wikipedia was not an appropriate source for research. Though not the goal of the research, a definite take away from the article is that while Wikipedia will never be a 100% reliable resource it is still a valuable one that students should be taught how to evaluate and use.

My Comments:

While the specific study question for this article did not result in any great insights, the research and the investigations into the issues at hand definitely provide some practical food for thought.  

A clear argument that arises out of this article is that librarians and teachers should stop promoting Wikipedia as an unreliable resource that should not be used for research.  And though I was once one of those teachers who said this, this article convincingly shows the error in this way of thinking.

Librarians and teachers (who may need the help of librarians) need to start teaching students how to use Wikipedia.  Students should learn how to use Wikipedia as a starting point and then follow the links.  They should know about the “Page Assessment Guide” tool, that helps in the evaluation of a page’s trustworthiness.  They should know Wikipedia can include library data linking citations of books directly to World Cat.

Anyone who has been teaching for awhile will know what this article says about students and research in the classroom rings true. Students are going to use Wikipedia, and it is our job, therefore, to teach them how to do so effectively.