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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi Katherine,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is something I am literally working on this week! While I doubt we would decide to purchase/cancel solely on the basis of AI, it seems helpful to have some framework within which to assess what the tools do.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here is my very draft-y list of considerations:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">---<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Interface<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">How obvious is the AI function within the interface?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">How is it labelled?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">Where and when does the AI function appear?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Entry points to AI function(s)<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">When does the user engage with the AI function(s)?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">Can it be ‘added’ to the research process midstream, or must the user initiate research using the AI function(s)?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Are there options to further engage with the AI function(s) as resources are discovered?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Can the user disengage the AI function(s) during the research process?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Help & Explanations<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">How transparent is the use of AI?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">Can a user get information about how AI is being used?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">How naturally do explanations fit into the research process flow?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">Does the explanation open in a new window, in an overlay box, or with some other visual/layout – and is the method disruptive to the flow of research?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Search Assistance - Natural Language Processing (NLP)<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Can queries be made in languages other than English?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Can the user easily view how their query has been converted from natural language into Boolean terms?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Can the user modify the Boolean terms, or remove the NLP step?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Corpus<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">What corpus is used for the search assistance?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">What corpus is used for summaries?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Are some materials excluded from the corpus?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">Is so, which, why, and how does that affect the results?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Summaries<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Are there topic or search-level summaries?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Are there article-level summaries?<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">Are summaries dynamic or static<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">i.e. will the user get the same summary on a repeat search?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Privacy & Reporting<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">How is user privacy maintained?<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1">If the user is logged in, so they have an option to purge their searches?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1">What statistics are maintained and available for library review?<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Eril-l <eril-l-bounces@lists.eril-l.org>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 21, 2025 9:33 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list <eril-l@lists.eril-l.org><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Eril-l] Evaluating AI tools in licensed databases<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div style="border:solid #9C6500 1.0pt;padding:2.0pt 2.0pt 2.0pt 2.0pt;margin-bottom:2.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:10.0pt;background:#FFEB9C"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">EXTERNAL EMAIL: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you trust the sender
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi all,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I'm curious how folks are handling AI integrations in databases such as EBSCO, JSTOR, etc. How do you evaluate these tools, and how do you decide whether or not to enable them (when that choice exists)? If your library has developed a framework
or rubric you'd be willing to share, I'd love to see it!<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks!<br>
Katherine<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="gmailsignatureprefix">-- </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">Katherine Fish
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">(she/her)</span></i><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">Serials and E-Resources Librarian</span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">DeWitt Wallace Library 117</span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">651-696-6530 |
<a href="mailto:kfish@macalester.edu" target="_blank">kfish@macalester.edu</a></span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666"><br>
<br>
</span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">1600 Grand Avenue</span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#666666">Saint Paul, MN 55105 USA</span><span style="color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:#222222"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><a href="https://www.macalester.edu/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="150" height="36" style="width:1.5625in;height:.375in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/LweVzePvz8iDwSX0iIoZx9MkIi2jRdWpwSyTbkH8cpbf2tByHLByXpZZ7MYKpTPhHr2nbz-Sqnj9OF8pmmndnLL76kP5yinGsCzSQWJK2KF1fhVEpuJYXFsH2IMtUHu8eUMP3D-fFI1KtmBmVLD42w"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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