Libraries Beta Testing OneSearch AI Research Assistant

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The University Libraries are testing a new natural-language search tool for the library catalog, OneSearch, and input is needed from the campus community. 

The OneSearch Research Assistant beta is a tool powered by generative artificial intelligence that allows users to explore library content by asking questions in natural language. The Research Assistant uses content found in OneSearch to identify five resources that can help answer a given question, then extracts the most relevant information from the description or abstract of each source to write an answer, citing the sources used.

The Research Assistant can be accessed through the "sparkles" icon in the upper righthand corner of the OneSearch homepage. For best results, it is recommended to make searches as specific as possible and phrased in the form of a question. No personal user data is recorded, but anonymized data is kept for statistical analysis. Questions and user feedback are used to train the Research Assistant to better respond to research queries. Feedback can be provided within the search through the "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" icons or by directly emailing libweb@uark.edu with the subject line "OneSearch Research Assistant."

Additional information on using the Research Assistant can be found in a post on the Libraries' blog, 365 McIlroy.