Rethinking access services in libraries: a comparative evaluation of intelligent interfaces

Library and Information Centers have been at the core of adapting and integrating technological advances to ensure timely support to users. It is no surprise that Libraries have to integrate Artificial Intelligence to provide effective and efficient services. One such example is the implementation of Chatbots, which can act as virtual assistants to enhance information dissemination. Hence, it is imperative to analyze the available frameworks and evaluate the ones best suited to the library ecosystem. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of 20 chatbot frameworks, evaluating them based on specific criteria developed through a literature review, including type of tool, developer skill required, type of input, input processing, language support, product documentation, costing, technical requirements, support & community. The identified frameworks are evaluated and compared based on the developed criteria. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation is done based on a rating scale of 1–10. The primary objective of the study is to create a seamless and user-friendly chatbot framework that enables librarians to implement it with minimal assistance from a technical expert. It has been found that Google Dialogflow is the optimal tool for academic libraries looking to implement chatbots on their websites.