{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T18:07:07Z","timestamp":1777745227212,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":3,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,2]],"date-time":"2012-03-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1330646400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper aims to describe a pilot at the University of Nebraska\u2010Lincoln for a chatbot that answers questions about the library and library resources.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>The chatbot was developed using a SQL database to store the question and answers using artificial intelligence mark\u2010up language metadata. The user interface was built using PHP, adapted from Program\u2010O. The open source PHP program was modified to support better display and the launching of URLs within the chatbot screen. Database content was created by \u201cmining\u201d library websites for information, and analyzing chat logs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>The chatbot answers questions from a variety of users from around the world. It has attracted an unexpected number of social chatters, which required some additional metadata to accommodate personal chatting and to guide questions back to the intent of the project. The majority of questions are directional or factual questions that Pixel can handle. The database proved to be practical to build and revise as library resources and personnel changed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The chatbot provides a 24 hour, seven day a week service that is consistent, can be enhanced as resources, services, or staff change, and provides a playful interface that engages users. It replaces complicated navigation systems and scrolling through search results with more targeted answers, and has the ability to refer questions to librarians.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>Although chatbots have been around for several decades, there is a scarcity of reports in published library literature about their use in libraries.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/07378831211213238","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,5]],"date-time":"2012-03-05T14:37:59Z","timestamp":1330958279000},"page":"95-107","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":86,"title":["Chatbots in the library: is it time?"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"DeeAnn","family":"Allison","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022021719475638500_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nardi, B.A. and O'Day, V. (1996), \u201cIntelligent agents: what we learned at the library\u201d, Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Services, Vol. 46 No. 2, pp. 59\u201088.","DOI":"10.1515\/libr.1996.46.2.59"},{"key":"key2022021719475638500_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rubin, V.L., Chen, Y. and Thorimbert, L.M. (2010), \u201cArtificially intelligent conversational agents in libraries\u201d, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 496\u2010522.","DOI":"10.1108\/07378831011096196"},{"key":"key2022021719475638500_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ward, D. (2005), \u201cWhy users choose chat: a survey of behavior and motivations\u201d, Internet Reference Services Quarterly, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 29\u201046.","DOI":"10.1300\/J136v10n01_03"}],"container-title":["Library Hi Tech"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/07378831211213238","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/07378831211213238\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/07378831211213238\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:34:00Z","timestamp":1753400040000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/lht\/article\/30\/1\/95-107\/264453"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,2]]},"references-count":3,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/07378831211213238"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/07378831211213238","relation":{},"ISSN":["0737-8831"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0737-8831","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,2]]}}}