Intelligent agent concepts in the modern library
| Date | 13 March 2007 |
| Pages | 108-125 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830710735894 |
| Published date | 13 March 2007 |
| Author | Valeda F. Dent |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Intelligent agent concepts in the
modern library
Valeda F. Dent
Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
Abstract
Purpose – Intelligent agents – software components designed to perform complex tasks for the user
(with or without the presence of the user) – are used in a variety of settings, from instant messaging
and web auctions, to ATM network management and air traffic control systems. The technology also
has applicability within libraries, adding a level of user-oriented control and flexibility to activities
such as digital collection management and virtual reference. The use of intelligent agents to assist
users with their searches has perhaps the greatest potential. The purpose of this article is to provide
background information on the use of agent technology in information settings, and review three
library-based projects that utilize agent technology in a practical way.
Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review combined with brief case
studies of practical applications of agent technology in three modern library settings. A conceptual
model of a virtual, agent-based personalized library is also presented.
Findings – Librarians and others in the information profession recognize the potential of agent
technology within the library setting. The paper presents a number of practical scenarios for using
agents, from supporting digital libraries and teaching information literacy to virtual reference.
Practical implications – There are numerous implications for current and future use of agent
technology in libraries, including how to engage IT staff in the development process, how to educate
users about the benefits of the technology, and how to make sure library professionals have the skill
set to allow them to participate in the conceptualization, design and implementation of agents.
Originality/value – There is a wealth of professional literature on agent technology and its uses,
mostly from a computing or engineering perspective. This paper has value in that it presents the
concept from a library perspective, and includes references to relevant library literature and projects.
Keywords Libraries, Intelligent agents, Digitallibraries
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Agent technology, a sub-field of artificial intelligence, is not a new concept. The idea of
the intelligent agent was first introduced by John McCarthy in the mid-1950s, while at
MIT. Bradshaw (1997) suggests that it was not until after the Second World War that
the forerunners of the software agent began to emerge. Norman (1997) advances that
the “most relevant” predecessors of software agents were things like factory control
devices, and automatons that controlled the takeoff, landing and piloting of aircraft.
Lewis suggested in 1996 that a shift away from the network operating system to
internet-based network computing was taking place (Lewis, 1996). If true, we are now
ten years into this shift, perhaps approaching the tail-end of it. There is no doubt that
the advent of the internet has fueled discussion about the use of agent technology, and
supported subsequent implementation on a much broader scale.
The popularity of agent technology has increased, decreased and increased again
over the past few decades (as the wave of professional literature published during the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
LHT
25,1
108
Received 6 January 2006
Revised 1 May 2006
Accepted 1 May 2006
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 25 No. 1, 2007
pp. 108-125
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830710735894
mid 1980s and 1990s indicates), and a number of researchers proclaimed the future
belonged to agents, “Agents will be the most important computing paradigm in the
next ten years ...By the year 2000, every significant application will have some form
of agent-enablement” (Janca, 1996). While this has not transpired, many researchers
still believe that the technology is here to stay. One of the earliest intelligent agents was
called ELIZA, created in 1966 at MIT by Joseph Weizenbaum, to simulate a
conversation with a physiotherapist. ELIZA used natural language to com municate
with the user, and her software code included only 240 lines. Today’s agents are
incredibly flexible software components, used in complex systems such as traffic
management and route guidance (Adler et al., 2005), power grid system control (Flynn
and Dodds, 2006), and supply chain management (Xue et al., 2005).
One area of intense and ongoing debate is the definition of agents. There are
numerous definitions of what an intelligent agent is, and just as many that focus on
what an agent is not. There is also rigorous debate about the concept of the tr uly
intelligent agent, whether it exists, or can be designed. In his compilation of essays on
agent technology, Software Agents, James Bradshaw (1997) mentions no fewer than
seven possible definitions of what an agent is in the opening chapter. A review of
literature by Schlieffer (2005); Hostler et al. (2005); Chen and Su (2003); Lieberman et al.
(2001); Shang et al. (2001); Wooldridge and Jennings (1998); Negroponte (1995) and
Maes (1997) reveal additional definitions, each slightly different from the next.
Bradshaw (1997) states that coming up with a “once-and-for-all definition of
agenthood” is very difficult, because researchers and developers have so many
opinions on agents, their function, and their application (Bradshaw, 1997, p. 5). He also
asserts that “there has been an explosion in the use of the term without a corresponding
consensus on what it means” (Bradshaw, 1997, p. 4). According to Bradshaw, this may
be the reason that many developers mistake generic software programs for agents –
“some programs are called agents simply because they can be scheduled in advance to
perform tasks on a remote machine” (Bradshaw, 1997, p. 4). Along these same lines, as
Foner (1993) observes in Bradshaw (1997, p. 6), there is “little justification for most of
the commercial offerings that call themselves agents. Most are barely autonomous,
unless a regularly scheduled batch-job counts”. Franklin and Graesser (1996) are quick
to point out that while all agents are software programs, not all software programs are
agents. Petrie (1996) in Bradshaw (1997, p. 10) goes a step further by demonstrating
that most of the “current web-based searching and filtering ‘agents’, though useful, are
essentially one-time query answering mechanisms”.
Defining agent technology
With that in mind, a cursory overview of some of the practical definitions of agents is
in order. The term “agent” most often refers to a software program that gathers
information or performs some other service without the immediate presence of the user.
While some researchers express doubt that a consensus about what an agent is will
ever be reached, many researchers in the area of agent technology agree that the
definition by Shoham (1997) is accurate: “A software entity which functions
continuously and autonomously in a particular environment, often inhabited by other
agents and processes”. Bradshaw (1997) asserts that agents are able to carry out
activities without constant human intervention, while Jafari (2002) sees agents as:
Intelligent agent
concepts in the
modern library
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