Developing an A.I. Chatbot for the Library: The Rebecca Crown Library Experience

In this webinar, Zach Claybaugh walks through the process of developing an AI chatbot as a tool for library patrons. Zach discusses the origin of the project, cross-departmental collaboration, student involvement, and AI anxiety. By the end of the presentation, participants will have an understanding of some of the challenges of developing an AI chatbot, as well as finding ways to address the concerns of library personnel and students who are anxious about the impact of AI technology.  

Presenter:
Zach Claybaugh is the Access and Reference Services librarian at Rebecca Crown Library. In this position, he leads the Access and Reference Services unit in providing top-notch service to the Dominican University (DU) community in the areas of circulation, interlibrary loan, and reference and research assistance. His other focus at DU is on advancing knowledge and use of open educational resources (OER), as well as working with his colleagues on information literacy initiatives across campus. Previously, he worked as the Student Success and Open Education librarian at UConn, the OER & Digital Learning Librarian at Sacred Heart University, a middle school teacher in Albania and Florida, and an ESL instructor in Minnesota and Illinois. Zach has a bachelor’s in history from West Texas A&M University and master’s degrees in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies and library and information science from the University of Illinois.