Reference Chatbots in Canadian Academic Libraries
| dc.contributor.author | Guy, Julia | |
| dc.contributor.author | Pival, Paul R. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lewis, Carla J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Groome, Kim | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-06T23:51:19Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-06T23:51:19Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-12-18 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Chatbots are “computer agents that can interact with the user” in a way that feels like human-to- human conversation.1 While the use of chatbots for reference service in academic libraries is a topic of interest for both library professionals and researchers, little is known about how they are used in library reference service, especially in academic libraries in Canada. This article aims to fill this gap by conducting a web-based survey of 106 academic library websites in Canada and analyzing the prevalence and characteristics of chatbot and live chat services offered by these libraries. The authors found that only two libraries were using chatbots for reference service. For live chat services, the authors found that 78 libraries provided this service. The article discusses possible reasons for the low adoption of chatbots in academic libraries, such as accessibility, privacy, cost, and professional identity issues. The article also provides a case study of the authors’ institution, the University of Calgary, which integrated a chatbot service in 2021. The article concludes with suggestions for future research on chatbot use in libraries. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Guy, J., Pival, P. R., Lewis, C. J., & Groome, K. (2023). Reference Chatbots in Canadian Academic Libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 42(4). https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v42i4.16511 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v42i4.16511 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118236 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Information Technology and Libraries | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Libraries & Cultural Resources | en |
| dc.publisher.hasversion | publishedVersion | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | en |
| dc.publisher.policy | https://ital.corejournals.org/index.php/ital/copyrightnotice | |
| dc.rights | Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. | en |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ | |
| dc.title | Reference Chatbots in Canadian Academic Libraries | |
| dc.type | Article |