PERCEPTION AND UTILIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN GOMBE STATE

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions and utilization of AI for effective service delivery in university libraries in Gombe State, Nigeria. The study was guided by four specific objectives and in line with the objectives, four research questions were answered and one hypothesis was answered. It adopted the descriptive survey method. A total of 37 professional librarians in university libraries was used as the population of the study using the census sampling technique. A questionnaire was used as the data collect instrument. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while inferential statics of correlation was used to test the hypothesis. The study found that; Chatbots and Dynamed were the AI tools that the respondents were aware of. The respondents have the perception that AI technologies can be adopted in university libraries, are capable of replacing human librarians in the future, and are a positive development for librarians. Findings further indicated respondents' perception that AI is beneficial in university libraries because it provides patron-tailored recommendations to items, can reduce manual and repetitive tasks performed by librarians, and facilitates the discovery of new knowledge. But the major factors affecting the adoption of AI include poor internet connectivity and a lack of expertise among librarians. The study concluded that librarians' awareness of AI influences their perceptions of it. It recommends, among others, that management of university libraries in Gombe State should train their librarians on AI.