Perceptions and Experiences of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Libraries: A Study of Library Users in Pakistan

This study sought to understand library users\u27 opinions, attitudes, and needs regarding using artificial intelligence (AI) in libraries. A survey questionnaire was administered to 71 respondents from academic and public libraries throughout the region. This survey examined a range of topics related to AI use in libraries, such as its perceived benefits and drawbacks; ethical and privacy considerations; user demographics; and factors influencing user adoption of and satisfaction with AI-powered services. The survey results revealed a generally positive attitude toward AI use in libraries. However, concerns were raised regarding such decisions\u27 privacy and ethical ramifications. Libraries must consider user needs and expectations when implementing and managing AI-powered systems. At the same time, further research is necessary to explore different topics related to this emerging technology field

A cost benefit analysis of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) implementation at the Naval Postgraduate School's Dudley Knox Library

MBA Professional ReportThe purpose of this MBA project is to evaluate the potential of implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology at the Naval Postgraduate School's Dudley Knox Library (DKL). DKL is an academic library supporting a graduate student population only. This study has both quantitative and qualitative analyses. A Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) was conducted using data gathered from research which included personal interviews, site visits, and a survey questionnaire. Time and motion studies of selected library processes were conducted at DKL and a major public library. Vendors were invited to submit proposals for RFID systems to get the latest equipment available and associated cost estimates. The qualitative analysis addressed the advantages and disadvantages of an RFID system as well as privacy and other ancillary issues surrounding its implementation. This study did not attempt to quantify potential savings from collection management, an intangible benefit that could be addressed in future studies. Finally, the study presented several options to aid NPS decision makers on whether or not to implement an RFID system at DKL.http://archive.org/details/acostbenefitnaly1094510100US Navy (USN) authorApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Intention to adopt blockchain technology for collaborative business processes by academic libraries in South Africa

Globalisation has compelled academic institutions to leverage digital innovations that present new capabilities and novel opportunities because of the stiff competition and movement restrictions during pandemic such as COVID-19, in their operating environments. In this digital era, academic libraries, like any other institution are compelled to re-think of their ways of providing information services to remain relevant to their communities as there are various other sources of information which attract users' attention. Growing demand of information services, declining budgets, rapidly changing world around academic libraries and increase in prices are common challenges experienced by the university libraries globally, which are mostly too complex and large for the institutions to handle on their own. These challenges led to the consortia formation both in developing and developed countries for collective acquisition and sharing of resources. Collaborative technologies should, therefore, be adopted to integrate internal systems for seamless information exchange between different institutions and eliminate duplication of efforts. However, it becomes a challenge to integrate these systems across independent institutions because of lack of trust between the involved parties, in terms of who will control the collaborative business processes. For collaborative processes which are in place, academic libraries still depend on a third party to facilitate their collaborative activities, and consequently incur costs for coordination of such processes. Blockchain represents one of the disruptive technologies with potential to streamline the collaborative activities across academic libraries with high level of trust without the third party intermediation. Although, blockchain technology has caught the attention of different industries, it is still at an infancy stage and yet to find its traction in various business processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the intention to adopt blockchain technology for collaborative business processes by academic libraries in South Africa. The study was anchored in the Technology Adoption in Supply Chain (TASC) model which has been adapted to answer the research questions formulated. Quantitative research approach was adopted, using survey questionnaire. From the questionnaires sent to 23 South African academic libraries which are members of the regional consortia, only 95 usable responses have been collected and analysed using SPSS version 26. Potential applications of blockchain technology were found to be in distributed metadata sharing, a credentialing system, and a library network connection to form Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS). However, participants are uncertain of the intention to adoption blockchain by their academic libraries. Looking at the results of the descriptive analysis, it is evident that academic library workers are positive about relative advantage, compatibility, IT readiness, and interorganisational trust of blockchain technology in their profession. They are not aware and/or have mixed perceptions of the technology complexity, cost, management support, industry support, customer pressure, and security/privacy concern of blockchain technology. This warrants the need to impart knowledge about the technology and its potential value to their profession. Among the adoption factors included in the model, only customer pressure (CP) was found to be significant in influencing the intention to adopt blockchain, while relative advantage (RA), compatibility (CT), complexity (CX), perceived cost (PC), organisational size (OS), management support (MS), IT readiness (IR), industry support (IS), security concern (SC) and inter-organisation trust (TR) were insignificant. This research contributes to the limited empirical research literature in the blockchain technology adoption intention in academic libraries, while also provides the insights for practitioners in the technology adoption decision making, and technology vendors, in the context of developing countries

Open Data, Grey Data, and Stewardship: Universities at the Privacy Frontier

As universities recognize the inherent value in the data they collect and hold, they encounter unforeseen challenges in stewarding those data in ways that balance accountability, transparency, and protection of privacy, academic freedom, and intellectual property. Two parallel developments in academic data collection are converging: (1) open access requirements, whereby researchers must provide access to their data as a condition of obtaining grant funding or publishing results in journals; and (2) the vast accumulation of 'grey data' about individuals in their daily activities of research, teaching, learning, services, and administration. The boundaries between research and grey data are blurring, making it more difficult to assess the risks and responsibilities associated with any data collection. Many sets of data, both research and grey, fall outside privacy regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, and PII. Universities are exploiting these data for research, learning analytics, faculty evaluation, strategic decisions, and other sensitive matters. Commercial entities are besieging universities with requests for access to data or for partnerships to mine them. The privacy frontier facing research universities spans open access practices, uses and misuses of data, public records requests, cyber risk, and curating data for privacy protection. This paper explores the competing values inherent in data stewardship and makes recommendations for practice, drawing on the pioneering work of the University of California in privacy and information security, data governance, and cyber risk.Comment: Final published version, Sept 30, 201

Student Privacy in Learning Analytics: An Information Ethics Perspective

In recent years, educational institutions have started using the tools of commercial data analytics in higher education. By gathering information about students as they navigate campus information systems, learning analytics “uses analytic techniques to help target instructional, curricular, and support resources” to examine student learning behaviors and change students’ learning environments. As a result, the information educators and educational institutions have at their disposal is no longer demarcated by course content and assessments, and old boundaries between information used for assessment and information about how students live and work are blurring. Our goal in this paper is to provide a systematic discussion of the ways in which privacy and learning analytics conflict and to provide a framework for understanding those conflicts. We argue that there are five crucial issues about student privacy that we must address in order to ensure that whatever the laudable goals and gains of learning analytics, they are commensurate with respecting students’ privacy and associated rights, including (but not limited to) autonomy interests. First, we argue that we must distinguish among different entities with respect to whom students have, or lack, privacy. Second, we argue that we need clear criteria for what information may justifiably be collected in the name of learning analytics. Third, we need to address whether purported consequences of learning analytics (e.g., better learning outcomes) are justified and what the distributions of those consequences are. Fourth, we argue that regardless of how robust the benefits of learning analytics turn out to be, students have important autonomy interests in how information about them is collected. Finally, we argue that it is an open question whether the goods that justify higher education are advanced by learning analytics, or whether collection of information actually runs counter to those goods

Library application of Deep Web and Dark Web technologies

The Deep Web and Dark Web are legitimate tools for use in the field of information science, adding to the discussion of patron privacy. The American Library Association policies on privacy and confidentiality combined with the advancement of internet technology necessitate that library professionals become fluent in Dark Web usability in libraries

Practices, policies, and problems in the management of learning data: A survey of libraries’ use of digital learning objects and the data they create

This study analyzed libraries’ management of the data generated by library digital learning objects (DLO’s) such as forms, surveys, quizzes, and tutorials. A substantial proportion of respondents reported having a policy relevant to learning data, typically a campus-level policy, but most did not. Other problems included a lack of access to library learning data, concerns about student privacy, inadequate granularity or standardization, and a lack of knowledge about colleagues’ practices. We propose more dialogue on learning data within libraries, between libraries and administrators, and across the library profession

Data Analytics in Higher Education: Key Concerns and Open Questions

“Big Data” and data analytics affect all of us. Data collection, analysis, and use on a large scale is an important and growing part of commerce, governance, communication, law enforcement, security, finance, medicine, and research. And the theme of this symposium, “Individual and Informational Privacy in the Age of Big Data,” is expansive; we could have long and fruitful discussions about practices, laws, and concerns in any of these domains. But a big part of the audience for this symposium is students and faculty in higher education institutions (HEIs), and the subject of this paper is data analytics in our own backyards. Higher education learning analytics (LA) is something that most of us involved in this symposium are familiar with. Students have encountered LA in their courses, in their interactions with their law school or with their undergraduate institutions, instructors use systems that collect information about their students, and administrators use information to help understand and steer their institutions. More importantly, though, data analytics in higher education is something that those of us participating in the symposium can actually control. Students can put pressure on administrators, and faculty often participate in university governance. Moreover, the systems in place in HEIs are more easily comprehensible to many of us because we work with them on a day-to-day basis. Students use systems as part of their course work, in their residences, in their libraries, and elsewhere. Faculty deploy course management systems (CMS) such as Desire2Learn, Moodle, Blackboard, and Canvas to structure their courses, and administrators use information gleaned from analytics systems to make operational decisions. If we (the participants in the symposium) indeed care about Individual and Informational Privacy in the Age of Big Data, the topic of this paper is a pretty good place to hone our thinking and put into practice our ideas