Amazing technological advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are being reported on an almost daily basis, from receptionists at hotels, to autonomous vehicles and helpers in hospitals. from the versatile mobile robots in agriculture and manufacturing jeans to autonomous vehicles and 3D-printed buildings.
And they’re helping in libraries too. In fact, in 2019 the University of Pretoria introduced Libby, South Africa’s first robotic librarian.
During the ITWeb BPM & Automation Summit, being held on 29 June at The Maslow in Sandton, Isak van der Walt, manager: digital scholarship and innovation, at University of Pretoria, will present a case study and demonstration of Libby, to showcase the benefits that Libby has brought to the university’s library.
According to van der Walt, Libby can fulfil a variety of roles in the library with applications that can accommodate marketing features, surveying, Q&A, and entertainment.
“Libby's primary responsibility in the library is to assist with basic Q&A functions to ease the load on our information desk,” he explains. “She is also frequently used on special occasions that relate to robotics. Libby has a second role as marketing agent with multi-media information displayed on her screen.”
In addition, van der Walt says she provides a few benefits to the university’s client base. “First and foremost Libby acts as a marketing and change agent within the library, setting the tone for the strategic trajectory of the library's change and adoption of modern technologies.”
Next, Libby assists with the university’s student-self-service focus area -a strategic focus area that enables students to have more self-service endpoints. “Libby also offers our students and staff insight and hands-on experience in future work environments.”
During the presentation, delegates will get the opportunity to interact with Libby, and will hear about her benefits, as well as how robotics and AI can enhance the employee experience. Finally, he will share how customer service has been re-evaluated and enhanced through Libby.