Artificial Intelligence and Bulgarian Libraries: Practices, Perceptions and Opportunities for Optimization
摘要
Libraries are increasingly integrating innovative technologies to enhance service efficiency, information access, and user engagement in a time of accelerated digital transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a variety of opportunities to optimize library operations. AI has considerable potential for libraries as it can support efforts to enhance research and providing personalized recommendations, thus transforming the way people access and interact with information. Implementing AI in libraries allows them to adapt to technological progress, thus stay committed to their mission of sharing knowledge and information and making them accessible to everyone. This research examines the application of AI in libraries in Bulgaria. Its main objective is to identify the attitudes of Bulgarian library professionals towards the application of AI in their daily professional activities. The aim of the study is achieved through a survey among library workers, experts, and specialists, which identifies applications of AI in various library activities. Within this context, issues related to the types of tools, librarians’ self-assessed level of familiarity with these technologies, and related challenges and future perspectives are examined.