Will Artificial Intelligence Affect Libraries?

by Hulen Bivins, Executive Director

Recently, ABC News proffered the opinion that “Artificial Intelligence” will create more jobs than it replaces. The troubling part of that statement is that the acceptance of AI seems to be based on the fact that some degree of job loss is fine and, in reality, perhaps AI is something everyone should endorse and support.

The reason many say AI should be willingly endorsed is because it will help the productivity of most employees. This opinion is because, while AI will focus on the mundane tasks of a job, the employee will be left free to oversee the work that is genuinely interesting or requires a "higher cognitive” ability.

All of this may sound great until we each consider the question of whether or not AI will take over our job. When such happens, the employee is not likely to see a positive in AI capabilities.Looking at the capabilities of AI presently, it is believed, that because of repetitive tasks that can be automated, employees in administration, financial, legal, manufacturing, retail, and the media are most at risk. However, before we start to “boo” and “hiss” changes in jobs that call for repetitive tasks, consideration should be given to the fact that, as promised, AI will help the job quality of most employees as AI has its focus less on the mundane tasks — and more on the work that's genuinely interesting or requires a "higher cognitive" ability.

So, in this brave new world of AI, what shall be the effect on libraries? Profound changes are coming to all library operations and services. Consider that within the past 15 years, momentous changes have happened and libraries are still fulfilling the acute needs of all people. Remember, before Skype and Zoom, libraries used something called “conference calls” which was done using a handset telephone. The patron singularly did book and library material retrieval, perhaps with the aid of a librarian who knew the Dewey Decimal system. Today, some libraries like the state libraries of Utah and Tennessee, have robotic retrieval systems where the press of a button retrieves wanted library material. These changes are most assuredly astounding. The degree of improvement is to be determined by the user.

So, shall there still be a need for librarians in a world where the patron downloads from the Hoopla database and reads on a tablet? It would appear that, based on library use patterns for centuries, the use and need of libraries shall be secure, perhaps with a few changes. The big reason for this is because of librarians. They are the guideposts to knowledge. Faster retrieval matters little if the correct and accurate guideposts are not followed. Certainly, the capabilities of AI will change many jobs as well as presently held ideas of efficiency. But, at this time it appears that the greatest gain will be occupations in the tech sector like web designers, software engineers, and user experience (UX) technicians. A good bet is that it shall still be important to have a human decision-maker be actively involved in working with AI integration to enhance productivity in libraries and most other occupations.

"The Vicksburg Kiwanis Club, in partnership with the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, has donated a children’s table, chairs, and books for the children to Laundry Plus, a laundromat located on Halls Ferry Road in Vicksburg. The purpose of the project, developed by Port City Kiwanis Club Past-President and Librarian Marie Cunningham, is to provide children with a constructive activity while their parents are using the laundromat services,said Walter Frazier Kiwanis Club member.

Cunningham's decision helped the Port City Kiwanis Club buy the books, and the group intends to restock them in the hopes that some of the kids would take them home to finish reading. According to Frazier, the project is a replica of one that was started using funding Cunningham obtained for the library from the Mississippi Library Commission."

Read more at: https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2024/02/05/a-seat-at-the-table-kiwanis-club-donation-aimed-at-childrens-activities/

The Forest Public Library, a part of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System, recently had a whopping 60 people attend their sourdough class! Find a class near you at https://cmrls.lib.ms.us/!

The Madison County Library System (MCLS) in Canton, Mississippi has received two complete sets of ARRL books and posters on information about amateur radio from the Jackson Amateur Radio Club (JARC), valued at $2,000 in total.

 "The books, published by ARRL, include topics on basic electronics, antenna building, and rules and regulations, and include amateur radio license study guides" said MCLS Director Tammie Terry who is excited for the continued partnership to expand STEM in the library.

Find out more at www.mclsms.org/.

https://stacksandstories.podbean.com/

The Mississippi Library Commission was designated as an official Patent & Trademark Resource Center (previously Patent & Trademark Depository Library) in 1990 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office.

As a patent training and search can take between one and three hours, we recommend you schedule a time to meet with Lawrence Smith, Collection Management Director and Patent Librarian, by emailing him at lsmith@mlc.lib.ms.us or calling 601.432.4120.

Copyright law is a set of laws that protect the rights of creators of original works, such as music, literature, art, and software. These laws grant the creator exclusive rights to their work, including the right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works based on the original. Copyright protection is automatic upon the creation of a work and generally lasts for the life of the creator plus an additional 70 years.

In order to enforce their copyright, creators can register their works with the U.S. Copyright Office, which provides a public record of the work and allows the creator to sue for damages in case of infringement. Copyright infringement occurs when someone uses a copyrighted work without permission, such as by copying, distributing, or performing the work without the creator's consent.

Fair use is an important concept in copyright law, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. In determining whether a particular use qualifies as fair use, courts consider factors such as the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantiality of the portion used, and the effect of the use on the market for the original work.

Overall, copyright law aims to balance the rights of creators to control and profit from their work with the public's interest in access to and use of creative works. It is important for creators to understand their rights under copyright law and for users to respect those rights to ensure a fair and balanced system of protection for creative works.

MAGNOLIA Training Available

MLC now has a MAGNOLIA Outreach Coordinator to help you learn and share information about how to access and use the MAGNOLIA databases. Trainings are available in person or virtually. Contact Kristen Hillman at khillman@mlc.lib.ms.us to schedule your staff training today!