Sherif Keynote

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There has been plenty of hype over artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Is it time to put aside the cynicism that this kind of hype generates and look seriously at how we can take advantage of these emerging technologies to improve the student experience and build an intelligent library?

This was the opening for my recent keynote at the Sherif event at CILIP headquarters in central London on the challenge of the intelligent library.

The internet of things makes it possible for us to gather real-time data about the environment and usage of our library spaces.  It is easy to imagine using this data to ensure the library is managed effectively, but could we go further and monitor environmental conditions in the library, or even, using facial recognition software, student reactions as they use the library so that we can continually refine the learning experience?

Most smartphones now make use of artificial intelligence to make contextual recommendations based on an individual’s location and interests. Could libraries take advantage of this technology to push information and learning resources to students? If we could, it offers some interesting possibilities. On-campus notifications could nudge students to make best use of the available services such as the library.  Off-campus notifications could encourage them to take advantage of the learning opportunities all around them. Could we use approaches like this to turn student’s smartphones into educational coaches, nudging students towards the choices that lead to higher grades and prompting them to expand their learning horizons.

As we start to use a range of tracking technologies, smart cards, beacons, sensors we are facing a deluge of data in the use of buildings, spaces and equipment across a college or university campus. We are faced with a breadth and depth of data which can be challenging to use effectively and have greatest impact.  These tracking technologies are already widespread in environments such as airports and retail. Often using wifi tracking to track users via their wifi enabled devices and smartphones. In addition sensors are used to track space utilisation and occupancy. Interpreting the data is fraught with challenges and difficulties, as well as potential ethical and legal issues. However this wealth of data does offer the potential to deliver more satisfying experiences for students and staff as well as ensuring the library is used as effectively as possible. I also clarified how the intelligent campus space is big and wide, but our project is focused on one small aspect.

My talk was based on previous talks in this space I gave at the CILIP conference last year in Manchester and more recently in October for CILIP in Scotland. However the talk included more updated information on the potential technical architecture behind the intelligent campus and some of the use case ideas we are looking at.

I ensured we covered some of the core issues when gathering data, consent, ethics, GDPR, technical and even validity of the whole process.

It was great to have the time time to talk about the concept of the intelligent library with an interested audience.

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