Published Article

ABSTRACT

The study examined the adoption of artificial intelligence in library and information science in the 21st century the perceived impacts and challenges by librarians in Akwa Ibom and rivers states. An Expost facto survey design was adopted for the study. The targeted population for the study comprised all librarians in Akwa Ibom and Rivers State. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 80 librarians in Akwa Ibom and Rivers State. This gave a total of 100 respondent used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled Artificial Intelligence in Library and Information Science Questionnaire (AILISQ). Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by an expert in test, measurement, and evaluation in order to ensure that the instrument has the accuracy, appropriateness, and completeness for the study under consideration. The reliability coefficient obtained was 0.83, and this was high enough to justify the use of the instrument. The researcher subjected the data generated for this study to appropriate statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics meant to answer the research questions and simple regression analysis meant to test the hypothesis. The test for significance was done at 0.05 alpha levels. The study revealed that “Cataloging and Classification” was rated the highest among the impact of artificial intelligence in library and information science in the 21st century while “Expertise and resources” was rated as the highest challenge faced in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in library and information science. The study concluded that artificial intelligence applications are now clearly discernible in practically every sphere of human society. In terms of adopting and using technology advancements to improve library operations and services, libraries in Akwa Ibom State and River State have not lagged behind. The study highlighted the impact and challenges faced in the adoption of artificial intelligence in library and information science. One of the recommendations made was that Academic libraries in Nigeria should fully implement artificial intelligence technology, such as chat-bots, bar-codes, RF IDs, and robotics, in order to provide top-notch services.

KEYWORDS: Adoption of Artificial Intelligence, Library and Information Science, Impacts, Challenges, Librarians, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States