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

[Stephen Coffman]

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 ;-)