Online Program: Is There Room for Bots Behind the Reference Desk? (fwd)

[Eileen Lutzow]

Hey,

Let's skip email reference and jump straight to using bot technology!  I am 
kidding here!  This is the first I've heard of this so thought you might be 
interested to see this too.

Eileen


On 14 May 02, at 21:32, Stephen Coffman wrote:

> 
> 
> Is There Room for Bots Behind the Reference Desk?
> 
> 
> Announcing an online program on the use of bot technology in library
> reference applications with Chris Eziekel of Kiwilogic and Steve Coffman
> of LSSI and Deborah, the Library Bot at 
> http://www.kiwilogic.co.uk/images/lssi/index.html
> 
> Monday, May 20th 11am Eastern.
> 
> 
> Further Information at:  http://www.virtualreference.net/virtual/bots.html
> 
> You've Probably Heard of Hal, You May Have Met Cybelle or Julia, but Did
> You Ever Think You'd Find Them in the Library? 
> 
> We're talking about 'Bots' and intelligent agents, of course. Those
> automated personalities that are answering questions on an increasing
> number of commercial web sites like Sisa at Siemens Mobile
> http://www.my-siemens.com/MySiemens/CDA/
> Index/0,2730,HQ_en_0_page%253Ahome,FF.html or Bob, the talking bot at
> www.kmpinternet.com or Chris, who will chat with you about hairstyling at
> www.schwarzkopf.com/ and there are hundreds of others slaving away at
> ecommece sites all over the Web. Some of these bots can be pretty amusing
> --- just try insulting them or ask one out on a date, if you want to have
> some fun --- and they can help add a degree of interactivity to a Web
> site. However, their real purpose is to help the user navigate through the
> content of the site 
 and to automatically answer frequently asked
> questions that account for a vast majority of the inquires on most
> commercial Web sites. 
> 
> Then there is a whole other class of research bots being developed by the
> artifical intelligence labs at MIT, Northwestern and elsewhere.  
> 
> The question is, will any of these bots --- either commercial or research
> --- find a home behind the library reference desk.  
> 
> We think it is possible, and to give you a very rough idea of some of the
> potential applications, go have a look at Deborah the Library Bot 
> http://www.kiwilogic.co.uk/images/lssi/index.html.
> 
> If you'd like to find out more, please join us for an online program on
> the use of bots in library reference appliations this Monday, May 20th at
> 11am Eastern.  The program will last about 1 hour, and will use LSSI
> Virtual Reference software.  There is no charge, and no need to register. 
> Just click on http://www.virtualreference.net/virtual/bots.html at 11am
> (or whatever time it is in your part of the world) and login.  We look
> forward to seeing you all there. 
> 
> 
> Yours Truly, 
> 
> 
> Steve Coffman, LSSI 
> 
> Chris Eziekel, Kiwilogic
> 
> and Deborah the Library Bot ;-)
> 
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