Comments on: I, Reference Robot

By: “Hot Topic” of the Week – IBM and Watson « Against-the-Grain.com

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:31:19 +0000

[...] I, Reference Robot [...]

By: Marina Kastan

Marina Kastan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:09:12 +0000

I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, here. In this discussion of Watson as a “digital associate” that might assist (but not replace!) the reference librarian, we’re ignoring logistics. This computer is enormous. This computer is expensive. Libraries can’t afford to stay open on Sundays, and we don’t have enough space for our books. This computer is not coming to a library near you anytime soon. Maybe in fifty years, but certainly not in five.

Who does have the space and the money? Google. It might have been more apt for Ken to welcome our new commercial overlords.

My guess is that the technology driving Watson is going to revolutionize search in a way that might seriously affect the relevance of reference service in libraries. I don’t mean to be pessimistic, and I don’t think this is the weapon Google needed to do us in once and for all, but I just don’t see this as a boon for the reference desk.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:41:42 +0000

The pros and cons of being able to eliminate positions aside, let’s not kid ourselves. The time saved when automation is introduced never ends up being saved by individual staff members who are freed up to do higher quality work. That time saved (whether the transition happens the next day or slowly over a year or two) ends up being time saved from the payroll.

By: Mari S. Smith

Mari S. Smith — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:57:29 +0000

Have you seen the 1957 movie “Desk Set”? It is quite relevant to Watson’s library usage. I think that in this period of cuts and layoffs the entry of Watson and Watson-like computers scares librarians as much as the appearance of the computer in the movie. Not saying good or bad, but just as unsettling. Librarians will need to continue to develop new skills and knowledge sets if Watson comes to work with us.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:31:22 +0000

I think there is also a novelty factor to it, but I’m sure that would wear off quickly if it was incapable of answer a person’s question.

As we move towards user experience, yes, the interface will be pretty key.

By: Phil O'Brien

Phil O'Brien — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:55:23 +0000

Great post. What caught my eye was your wish about “getting a computer like Watson in the library” and the robot image, which implies a physical presence.

I agree that something like Watson would be a great tool for answering reference questions or providing ideas for read-alikes etc., but I assume this would be something more like an online service, where ‘Watson’ exists on a server somewhere and is actually processing lots of information requests from libraries, and other points, all around the world.

Designing an interface that folks feel comfortable with is probably the tricky part. A hologram or even a CGI talking head has got to be better than talking to a box.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:48:52 +0000

I wouldn’t put that as a disqualifier from service since librarians (or people in general) can make mistakes like that, but I would be interested in hearing how it came up with that answer.

By: Caren Rabinowitz

Caren Rabinowitz — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:10:03 +0000

I watched the first 2 games. What impressed me was that Watson blew the final Jeopardy question about U.S. cities. The answer was something to the effect about a U.S. city with 2 airports: one named for a WWII hero and one for a WWII battle. Watson answered “What is Toronto?????” ( the multiple question marks denoted an unsure answer). The correct answer is Chicago which I deduced by knowledge that Chicago has an airport named Midway which was a WWII battle.

I wondered how a computer programmed with so much information could make such an elementary mistake about the location of Toronto which is in Canada the last time I looked. Until a computer can make the kind of connection that I made, I don’t think it’s ready for the reference desk.

By: John T. F. Burgess

John T. F. Burgess — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:34:14 +0000

Hi Andy,

I was in the process of writing you a comment here, and once I passed 500 words, realized I should probably turn it into a blog post of my own instead. ^_^ In brief, I share your excitement for the technology, but thing that it will be significantly disruptive for the library profession, and that we would be well served to consider Watson’s victory a “Sputnik moment”.

http://robosaur.us/2011/02/23/should-we-welcome-our-reference-overlords/

By: Should we welcome our reference overlords? | Robosaur

Should we welcome our reference overlords? | Robosaur — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:27:04 +0000

[...] This post is a response to a conversation about IBM Watson’s significance for reference librarianship begun by Andy Woodworth on his excellent blog Agnosticmaybe. [...]