Transforming Collection Development and Services: The Impact of AI in Libraries

Artificial intelligence (AI) is providing new horizons for libraries using IT in collection development and services. Libraries primarily serve as repositories of knowledge and information, but today, AI represents a technological advancement that transforms the provision and reception of services. This paper examines the impact of AI applications in libraries: accessibility services, recommender systems, content generation, preservation, and information searching. This paper looks at chatbots, virtual assistants, and predictive analytics and how they are transforming users’ engagement with services and enhancing service delivery. Collection development is another area that is also covered in the paper: how AI, customized for every collection, can be used for collection analysis, budget management, and the prediction of readers’ preferences for metadata improvement. These advancements allow the libraries to make better decisions with regard to their collections and offer ‘better’ collections for the end-users. Despite taking into account the benefits of its use, the work addresses issues such as staff acceptance, data protection concerns, and occupational loss risks. It sets out ideas such as ongoing enhancement, properly functioning standards, and cooperation for the enhancement of better practice.