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Trust, But Verify: Can We Make LLMs Trustworthy?

Large language models (LLMs) are starting to get integrated in many of our daily information access activities. But they often hallucinate and provide information that can be harmful. We can’t and shouldn’t trust them blindly, but what choice we have if they become our primary method of accessing information? We want to leverage the enormous potential LLMs have, but we also want them to be trustworthy. How do we do this? I offer three specific suggestions.

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INFIDEOS’ 2023 Holiday Gift to Information Science

For 2023, a new video series, An Archipelago of Information Science. The 7-episode playlist is on YouTube at INFIDEOS. The series explores ideas on the frontier of Information Science. Altogether, the collection enacts the metaphor of an island chain—an archipelago—of incipient concepts existing still somewhat offshore, but within sight, of the Information Science mainland. (The mainland is our literature where many well-established tenets reside.) Viewers are taken on an archipelago adventure, following a tour guide who is my own seagull avatar. There are several destinations, namely the islands of: Embodied Information, Contemplation, a Multispecies Perspective, Love, and Psychedelic Information Theory. The video thumbnail for these “islands” are shown below. Each stop on the journey is a expeditious primer, and the featured concept is defined and situated within the history and literature of Information Science. The series is ideal for anyone curious about emergent concepts and new directions in Information Science.

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ChatGPT: A Year Later – Examining Experts’ Opinions, Studies, and Public Perception

Since its release over a year ago, ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has sparked significant interest and debate surrounding the capabilities and implications of AI-powered conversational systems. As time has passed, experts, researchers, and ordinary users have had the opportunity to assess and analyze the impact of ChatGPT in various domains. This article delves into the developments, opinions, studies, and public perception surrounding ChatGPT since its launch, offering a comprehensive overview of the progress made and the challenges that remain. From expert opinions to research studies and the thoughts of ordinary individuals, this article explores the multifaceted perspectives that have emerged over the course of the past year.

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Navigating the Landscape of Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) in Library Settings

Managing traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) within library settings can be cumbersome for any librarian, and is especially challenging for those lacking adequate training to handle the complex legal and ethical issues involved in collection development and managing collections including TCEs. Below, we explore intersections between TCEs and librarianship, including current issues and potential remedies within LIS education. 

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Tattoo and Information

For many people, tattoos are a powerful and beautiful way to adorn the body and express identity, memory, ideas or artistic preferences. For some, tattoos are symbols of trauma and regret. Whether tattoos simply decorate the body or carry a deeper meaning, information is created, captured and communicated through tattoo images and during the tattooing process. Researchers at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand have been exploring the informational aspect of tattoos in a project called Tattoo and Information. We interviewed 25 New Zealanders of diverse profiles. Here is what we know so far.

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