Daily Thoughts 08/19/2018

Tik-Tok of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Illustrated by John R. Neill, 1914

Daily Thoughts 08/19/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of Social Value Investing.  I am learning about different kinds of investments which philanthropic organizations can create.  These range from grants to no interest loans to mission based investments.

I also read a little bit of Meditation Is Not What You Think.  Jon Kabat Zinn created the concept of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

I read a novelette called A Separate War by Joe Haldeman which is part of the Forever War series.

I checked the purchase alerts tonight.

Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Libraries.

I have compiled the various articles I have read on automation specifically focused on robotics and artificial in libraries.  There is a tremendous amount happening right now. These changes are not in the future.  They are spread out and occurring in the present.  They just have not reached most places yet.  These are my opinions and not necessarily facts.  I am not approaching this from a scholarly viewpoint.

While we cannot predict what will happen, we can pay attention to what is already happening.

My impression is that very soon there will be reductions in workforce size as people are replaced with technology.

There will be more automation of basic customer service.  This means less people will be needed at the reference desk and circulation.  There will be greater demands for readers advisory and other services.

AI and Intelligent Communications in Knowledge Management

https://www.vable.com/blog/ai-and-intelligent-communications

This will include options for self-checkout of materials using RFID.

The Mount Vernon Public Library has two self-checkout machines purchased from Biblioteca. One is next to the adult circulation desk and one is next to the children's circulation desk.

Increasingly AI will become part of basic library operations.  This will include answering phones, and improved algorithms in the catalog to find things.  It will be part of the librarians job to work with AI and large amounts of data.  Some librarians will move into the area of big data.

There will be more complex analysis of library collections.  Systems like Bluecloud Analytics may be integrated with AI.

Reference sources will start to use AI as part of their data collection and writing of articles.

The Amazing Ways How Wikipedia Uses Artificial Intelligence

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/08/17/the-amazing-ways-how-wikipedia-uses-artificial-intelligence/#337d1bcf2b9d

A New Home for AI: The Library

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/01/17/rhode-island-hopes-putting-artificial-intelligence-lab-library-will-expand-ais-reach

Does Artificial Intelligence Signal the End For Corporate Librarians  Q & A

http://www.copyright.com/blog/does-artificial-intelligence-signal-the-end-for-corporate-librarians-qa/

Some of the Functions of a Librarian Including Categorizing Materials Will Increasingly Require Working with Algorithms.

Deep Learning Neural Network Learns to Judge Books By Their Cover

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602807/deep-neural-network-learns-to-judge-books-by-their-covers/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post

Also basic book retrieval will be done by robots with RFID to locate the material.  RFID seems to be an enabler for retrieval by robots and automated vending of library materials.  This is not something which I have read about in the profession.

High Tech Couriers Set Efficiency In Motion at National Library of Australia

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/high-tech-robot-couriers-set-efficiency-in-motion-at-the-national-library-of-australia/ar-BBM1KXb

Robotic Librarians Hit The Books

https://newatlas.com/robotic-librarians-hit-books/43666/

Some portions of the collections will be put in vending machines including physical DVDs and CDs.  These will be tagged with RFID technology.  This will allow small vending machines to be put outside the library in places like train stations.

In 2016-2017, the New York Construction Grant included money for a DVD vending device for the Mount Vernon Public Library.

RFID-Enabled Vending Machines Brings Automation, Security to Library Disk Loans

http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?16675

Many standard library jobs will be replaced by robotics.  The type of job that is in a library will change considerably.  People will come to the library for computer access, materials, downloadables, and learning.  The library will become more of a "third place."  a mix between a community center and a tech center with a heavy emphasis on learning. If we want to keep our jobs, we may have to recreate them to better match what communities want.

How Automation Could Impact the Public Workforce

http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-automation-government-workforce.html

According to this article there is a 99% chance that library technicians jobs could be fully computerized and a 95% chance that library assistants, clerks could be fully computerized.  This eliminates rote tasks.

Study Indicates Robots Could Replace 80% of Jobs

https://robotenomics.com/2014/04/16/study-indicates-robots-could-replace-80-of-jobs/

Librarian, "One of the 8 Jobs That Won't Exist", Debunked

https://ischool.syr.edu/infospace/2017/11/06/8-jobs-that-wont-exist-2030-librarian-debunked/

There will be a greater focus on human interaction for librarians as well as communication and customer service.

The important Emotional Labor of Librarians Most People Never Think About

https://medium.com/everylibrary/the-important-emotional-labor-of-librarians-most-people-never-think-about-6f4a2cba178e