Implications for LIS education of recent developments in expert systems

Abstract

Although there is general agreement that library and information science (LIS) education must include a sizable component of information technology (IT), there is less agreement about which aspects of IT should be included, in particular about the role of expert systems. There is a growing body of educators and researchers enthusiastic about expert systems, although there are still no examples of fully operating expert systems in LIS work, with the exception of activity in the related field of intelligent front ends for data bases. Expert systems are likely to impinge upon LIS work, to varying degrees, in one or more of the following six areas: 1. 1. Library management and library routines 2. 2. Classification and indexing 3. 3. Interactive information retrieval services 4. 4. Knowledge acquisition and knowledge refinement stages of expert system development 5. 5. The development of expert systems for client groups 6. 6. The operation of expert systems for client groups This paper considers the implications for LIS education of these different levels of involvement. It touches upon recent developments in programming, expert system shells, generation of rules from examples, heuristic programming, and knowledge refining techniques. In a field that is rapidly changing, the dangers of a too rapid crystalization of new courses on expert systems are set against the lost opportunities of a fast-growing emerging market for new types of information professionals who almost certainly require some expertise in expert system design, development, and operation. Finally, reference is made to the level at which expert systems should be taught (e.g., postgraduate versus undergraduate, in-service training, etc.), the practical problems involved in the implementation of instruction with existing library school resources, problems of practical experience, and the implications for the recruitment of students to LIS courses.