Utilisation of artificial intelligence for the provision of information services at the University of Limpopo libraries

Abstract

In the wake of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence has been used in every aspect of human activity, including library operations. Artificial intelligence refers to the process of collaborating with robotic machines to improve job performance, generate increased competence and drive economic progress. In the library and information services, artificial intelligence can carry out a series of operations such as information retrieval. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utilisation of artificial intelligence for the provision of information services at the University of Limpopo library in South Africa. The study used a qualitative content analysis to gather data. The findings indicate that artificial intelligence can be used to provide information services in the library such as responding to students' enquiries and helping users to locate books faster. However, the findings further indicate that the University of Limpopo library must have adequate artificial intelligence infrastructure in place to integrate with the library management system to provide effective information services. The study recommends that an intelligent robotic machine be adopted and applied to the information service at the University of Limpopo library to deal with students' enquiries regarding the availability of the books and the location of the books in the library. The study also recommends that the University of Limpopo library provide training programmes and workshops to help library professionals improve their knowledge of artificial intelligence technologies. The study proposes a framework for the utilisation of artificial intelligence for the provision of information services in the fourth industrial revolution at the University of Limpopo libraries in South Africa.