The LIS Program is hosting our next LIS Research Forum on Thursday, September 5 at 11:30-12:30 in the LIS Program Area, Hamilton room 003F and on Zoom. We welcome UHM Natural Sciences Librarian Jonathan Young and current LIS student Morgan Lammert as they present “AI Text Analysis at Hamilton Science and Technology Reference : Transforming Approaches to Library Assessment Using Generative AI”.
Presentation Description:
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered interest in its ability to create fluent language. However, less well appreciated is its remarkable ability to read and analyze text. AI offers the opportunity to perform many tasks involving text analysis, including many library assessment tasks that would otherwise be impractical, if not impossible, due to the volume and magnitude of the text information involved. Traditionally, analytics and evidence in libraries have focused on counting aggregate, measurable items. This ranges from usage statistics, instructional sessions count, catalog records, or other methods of bibliometrics. Generative AI offers the librarian a novel ability to go beyond these metrics and engage with the meaning of text data at scale and for reasonable cost.
This talk describes how librarians at the UHM Science and Technology Reference Department are exploring automated and semi-automated AI methods to empower analysis in areas such as reference and collection development. These distinct projects suggest how librarians can usefully apply generative AI methods, overcoming limitations such as bias and hallucinations, and imagine a new assessment paradigm centered around extensive text analysis.
Presenter Bios:
Jonathan Young is the Natural Sciences Librarian at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He obtained an MS in Computation and Neural Systems from the California Institute of Technology, and an MLIS and PhD in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His research interests include open science, bibliometrics, interdisciplinarity, and AI.
Morgan Lammert is in the final semester of her master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from Pepperdine University and strives to combine her background in science with librarianship. As the LIS intern at Hamilton Library’s Science and Technology Reference Department, she has enjoyed experimenting with generative AI and its potential applications in libraries. She looks forward to a future career in which she can continue to explore technological innovations in libraries.
Please contact the LIS Program office at lisinfo@hawaii.edu for the Zoom meeting link.