Fiction selection ‐ an AI at work? Available to Purchase

Considers the historical dimension of the treatment of fiction in libraries and concludes that, if fiction is regarded as a resource, library users are entitled to enhanced access to it. Notes that enhancing access to fiction is widely regarded in the profession as unacceptably labour‐intensive, but suggests that readers are favourably impressed by an expert system which requires relatively little input effort on the part of the library staff. Describes the idea of a “user profile” and its restricted implementation in a prototype system. Describes plans for further development of the prototype system.