ChatGPT: Unleashing the Power of Conversational AI for Library Reference Services

Abstract

Purpose-Explore the impact of AI and ChatGPT on library information services; Design/methodology/approach-A sample of twenty-two reference questions are fed to ChatGPT and the answers are evaluated for quality and accuracy; Findings-ChatGPT are excellent in information retrieval in some areas, but it is not comparable to a reference librarian in others; Research limitations/implications-The findings may not be conclusive due to small sample size; Practical implications-Understand AI and ChatGPT and their behavior; Social implications -The knowledge from the study can assist librarians to adjust their services to better serve users; Originality/value-No research has been done in this area.