Abstract
A legislative framework is at the heart of attaining the goals of organisations, including academic libraries specifically using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic machines. Legislation is needed in libraries to guide the use of AI. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of a policy and legislative framework to apply AI in the information services of an academic library in South Africa. The study adopted convergent mixed methods research using the parallel sampling technique to investigate the policy and legislative framework that is being applied at an academic library. The population comprised a total of 14 participants, including 10 information librarians, one technical librarian and two library executives. A questionnaire, interviews and document analysis were used to gather the data. The researchers analysed the study's quantitative data using figures. To analyse the qualitative data, the researcher used Atlas.ti software. The results show that the academic library had policies in place and that it utilised South African legislation to provide information services. However, the policies did not address the use of AI. The study recommends that the academic library ensure that its policies and legislative framework are reviewed to include AI to provide information services effectively in a changing information environment. The study also recommends a framework to guide the academic library in applying legislation when using AI in providing information services.
Keywords
Introduction and background
Legislation is a set of laws that are used to govern a country, and a policy framework is an integrated and holistic structure that lists a set of steps, measures, principles, values and standards that authorities must adhere to when implementing an organisation's adopted policy. It provides broad and thorough instructions that are essential for policy implementation (National Policy Development Framework, 2020). Legislation and policy frameworks are critical in providing information in libraries by establishing guidelines and rules on how to disseminate different types of information resources. Legislation refers to a set of laws, such as a Copyright Act, that guide the provision of information services in libraries.
A policy framework refers to the set of guidelines or action plan that libraries follow to make decisions – for example, library policy and collection policy. The policy recognises the role of legislation in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of using artificial intelligence (AI) for information provision, thus guiding management in adopting AI and adhering to relevant laws. According to Marcu and Marcu (2021), AI is a branch of computer science that focuses on building intelligent machines that are like human intelligence. AI, according to Iron Mountain (2019), is the process of collaborating with robotic machines to do tasks more effectively, generate higher levels of competency and promote economic progress. In this study, AI is used to describe computer programmes and robotic machines that have been designed to do challenging tasks in the field of library and information science autonomously. In the context of this study, AI refers to a robotic machine that performs a series of operations, such as information search and retrieval.
Libraries and information services need laws that guide them to function effectively, such as a legal framework, a policy regime and administrative arrangements (Nkondo et al., 2014). The Constitution oversees South African libraries and information services (LIS), guaranteeing the execution of their mandate. Other government documents and laws containing explicit and implicit references to LIS supplement this body of legislation (Nkondo et al., 2014, 2018). The National Library of South Africa Act 2 of 1998 and the National Council for Library and Information Services’ policy guidelines and directives govern all libraries’ information services. The National Library of South Africa is a South African institution that provides libraries and information practitioners with guidelines for managing their information and records (James, 2001; Nkondo et al., 2018).
South Africa has no policy or legislation for the use of AI. However, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is in the process of implementing such a policy framework – namely, the National Artificial Intelligence Policy Framework for South Africa. This policy framework has been described as ‘a first step in developing the National AI Policy that aims to promote the integration of AI technologies to drive economic growth, enhance societal well-being, and position South Africa as a leader in AI innovation’ (South Africa National Artificial Intelligence Policy Framework, 2024). The purpose of this first phase in the creation of South Africa's national AI policy is to provide a framework for the policy, which will then serve as the cornerstone for the development of AI regulations and possibly an AI Act in the country, with the goal of directing the creation and implementation of AI in a way that is both ethical and responsible for all industries (Rosenberg, 2024). This policy will benefit libraries in that there will be laws and regulations to follow when utilising AI technologies.
Policymakers throughout the world are paying increasing attention to AI regulation. The European Union’s AI Act has recently been passed – legislation that took about four years in the making. This shows that South Africa still has a long way to go with its own policy, but there is at least one that it can use as a benchmark. Regulation will guarantee that AI is developed in an ethical and responsible manner from the outset, protecting governments, corporations and individuals from some of the possible problems associated with AI.
In this context, the University of Limpopo library serves as an academic library. Mankweng, which is roughly 30 kilometres east of Polokwane, is home to the University of Limpopo. On 1 January 2005, this academic institution was formed through the merger of the previous University of the North and the Medical University of Southern Africa (University of Limpopo, 2022). For the faculties at the University of Limpopo to fulfil their objectives, a library is required. It is for this reason that each faculty member has a subject librarian assigned to them. The University of Limpopo library collects and organises information and services, and makes them available to support the university's teaching, learning, research and community participation programmes (Omeluzor et al., 2017). As a result, the library at the University of Limpopo is divided into four sections: Acquisitions, Cataloguing and Classification, Client Services, Information Services and circulation service (University of Limpopo, 2022).
All of the university’s faculties and divisions and the library work together with the Acquisitions section to acquire, catalogue and process all selected resources for payment. The Cataloguing section organises and categorises newly acquired library resources by discipline. The goal is to assign a unique number (call number) to each library item so that it can be identified within the library and for security reasons (Adedibu et al., 2012). The Client Services division is responsible for helping library users access and retrieve library information in an efficient and easy way. The Circulation division is responsible for organising and maintaining the shelves, as well as checking library resources in and out, renewing books, registering new members, managing interlibrary loans, and maintaining records and statistics (University of Limpopo, 2022). The Information Services section meets the different requirements of library patrons by providing accurate and timely responses to customers’ questions and assisting them with research materials and methodologies. The study was inspired by the goal of the University of Limpopo library to adapt to the forces that are transforming teaching and learning, research and community involvement while keeping up with evolving technologies.
Legislation on the use of AI is needed for proper use of these technologies. However, there are no clear policies and legislation that guide the use of current technologies such as AI. Studies show that current policies and legislation on the use of AI are unclear (Oyetola et al., 2023). Organisations such as academic libraries need policies and legislation on how to provide and manage their services. The lack of policy and legislation is what led to this study because libraries need laws and guidelines to use AI ethically when providing information services. The University of Limpopo library does not yet utilise AI completely to deliver information services. Therefore, to provide information services effectively, the University of Limpopo library must conceptualise a legal framework that will include the implementation of AI. It might not be able to use AI to deliver information services effectively and efficiently in the absence of appropriate regulations. Should these policies and legislation be followed and adhered to, the University of Limpopo library will render information services to its patrons efficiently using AI technologies. A legal framework will direct information librarians in their use of robots and AI to search and retrieve information resources. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the legislation that allows AI to be applied in rendering information services at the University of Limpopo library in South Africa. This study recommends a framework for information librarians and management at the University of Limpopo library in South Africa to follow when using a legislative framework for utilising AI to provide information services.
Literature review
According to Creswell (2014), the empirical investigation of research results heavily depends on a literature review. Therefore, reviewing the literature is imperative to ensure that a study yields reliable results based on theories and previous studies. A literature review provides a research project with details about previous research on the subject and any findings that are relevant to the current study (Pare et al., 2015Creswell and Creswell, 2017). To determine whether a study is significant enough to conduct, researchers use a literature review as a benchmark against other relevant studies. Most of the time, researchers examine the literature in relation to the research problem, moving from a broad perspective to a more specific one. The literature review in this article covers policy and legislative frameworks.
Legal frameworks encompass not just the main components of laws, but also the organisational, political, social and economic settings or conditions that enable laws to be enacted, enforced and used effectively (Rundle, 2009). Every organisation or institution needs regulations and policies in place for them to function properly and ethically. Academic libraries are no different; they need policies and a legislative framework to provide information services. As a result, this study considered legislation that guarantees the efficient delivery of information services in academic institutions, including the University of Limpopo library. The Constitution oversees South African LIS, guaranteeing the execution of their mandate. To use AI to provide information services at the University of Limpopo library, legislation is essential. It is necessary to revise South Africa's current regulatory framework to incorporate AI into the provision of information services.
The literature review was carried out by compiling a bibliography related to the area of study (Arlene, 2019). The researchers used the most reliable and constantly used literature sources, such as books and journals related to the area of study. The use of an electronic library that consists of e-resources saved the researcher time and helped with the compilation of the bibliography and analysis of the literature for the study (Bartunek, 2014). Most of the information resources did not have information on the topic; little has been written on the legislation and policies of using AI in academic libraries or libraries in South Africa. Therefore, the researcher used the existing legislation and policies to analyse how AI can be integrated into that legislation and those policies. The researcher recommends that future studies focus more on the integration of AI into legislation and policies.
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
According to Chapter 2, Section 32, Subsection 1 of the Constitution, everybody has the right to obtain information maintained by the government or by another person that is necessary for the fulfilment or protection of any rights (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996). The use of AI would ensure that individuals seeking information would receive it more quickly and easily through robotics, as AI facilitates rapid access to information. The speed of access enables information recipients to complete their tasks in a timely manner (Tom et al., 2020). The infusion of AI into the Constitution would help guide university libraries in amending their policies in favour of AI implementation. The Constitution would clearly state a general overview of ethical ways to adopt AI and then different institutions would benchmark and revise their policies to include the use of AI. For information services, libraries would follow the law that states the ethical ways of adopting AI applications, such as how patrons’ data should be protected.
Promotion of Access to Information Act
Section 29 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act addresses issues with electronic document access and access procedures (Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000). After receiving a notice of access, an information officer would find and extract the requested information for the requestor using AI, robotic machines and connected AI-powered software based on the guidelines outlined in the legislation on AI. The individual has the option to search the robotic-machine-connected database for information and, upon retrieval, it appears on a computer screen (Kruhse-Lehtonen and Hofmann, 2020).
Section 43 of the Act, on the other hand, deals with the mandatory protection of third-party research information and the protection of research information by public institutions. The library’s cloud storage would be secured in such a way that no one without access privileges to the information materials would be able to access it. Only information officers would have the right to authorise access to cloud-stored data. Encrypted security codes and passwords would secure the information to prevent unauthorised access. AI security systems would protect information from unauthorised and illicit access by using secure software that would act against illegal access and prevent the systems from being hacked (Tom et al., 2020).
Protection of Personal Information Act
Chapter 2, Section 4 of the Protection of Personal Information Act is based on the lawful distribution of personal information (Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013). When collecting personal information, the information officer must be liable and accountable, collect reliable and accurate information, and protect the processed information. Robotic machines would have the capability of digitising as many documents as possible. The robot would digitise only the information that librarians provided it with. Therefore, it is the duty of information librarians to digitise the necessary data and take full accountability for AI-digitised information, as they are the ones who supply the robot with the necessary data (Demaitre, 2020). Therefore, information librarians follow the guidelines for protecting user information.
Chapter 2, Section 5 of the Act is also important and should be considered when implementing AI to provide information services. This section clarifies that individuals, known as ‘data subjects’, have the right to consent to the collection of their personal information within the framework of legal data collection. The collection and processing of their personal information must be legal. The Act prohibits the collection of a data subject's personal information for direct marketing through unwanted automated communications. The information librarian in charge of digitising the data must ensure that other people's information is captured accurately. AI systems use machine learning. For instance, the Android operating system from Google records, assesses and gathers data, then transmits it to servers. These servers feed their machine learning systems with billions of data points gathered from tens of millions of users (Griffey, 2019). The AI software should be able to distinguish between each piece of personal data and the rest, and detect when there is a breach of security or unauthorised access.
Electronic Communications and Transactions Act
The understanding that integrity is essential to ensuring the right evidential weight of such evidence makes it possible to notarise, acknowledge or certify electronic documents, according to Chapter 3, Section 27 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002. This Act also acknowledges the use of hyperlinks to add information to a document and the ability of machines acting as electronic intermediaries to carry out contracts for users of an electronic transaction. The Act permits the use of machines, leading to the installation of software in robotic machines that enables electronic signatures for user information validation.
Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter
Chapter 4 of the Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter (2014) states that the development and acquisition of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in LIS should adhere to the government's free and open-source software strategy (Nkondo et al., 2014). To increase their clients’ access to scholarly and educational information, librarians must stay current on open-access initiatives. The government is aiming to provide free access to information, which will enable South Africa to become an information society by producing university students who are well informed and capable of adapting to the use of new AI technologies.
Chapter 5 of the Charter deals with how librarians should embrace new technologies and adapt while acquiring the skills needed to provide quality information services to users. The Charter states that to compete with technological developments, librarians must add value by providing experience-based and customised services. Twenty-first-century librarianship necessitates a professional who embraces the capabilities of technology, finds creative ways to employ it, and possesses more diverse – even ‘unconventional’ – skills than ever before. A librarian should understand the current generation of customers, who are digital natives, increasingly mobile and always ‘connected’. Librarians can adapt existing services and develop new ones to meet the needs of their community, as well as change public perceptions of the term ‘library’. Acceptance of AI and robotic machines is essential to fulfil the requirements of the policy that governs the utilisation of AI. The infusion of AI would comply with the standards of the new age, which would make libraries relevant to their users by making use of AI-aided software and machines that make information easily accessible.
‘Information policy handbook for Southern Africa’
The term ‘information policy’ refers to policy initiatives that promote the use of tools and ideas related to the ‘global information society’ to realise their potential in achieving national, social and economic development goals. In many cases, one of these goals is to integrate the national economy with the global knowledge-based economy (James, 2001). This means that strategies for information policy will differ from country to country. The evolution of information policy in Southern Africa reflects this, and it, along with other factors like the economic development level and historical context, contributes significantly to the complexity of identifying replicable commonalities in the regional policy environment (James, 2001; Nkondo et al., 2014).
Chapter 2, Section 1.3 of this policy stresses the National Information and Communications Infrastructure Initiatives. In terms of ICT policy, the manual emphasises the importance of organisations committing to policy and regulatory change, developing an enabling ICT environment for the development of applications, and improving the availability and lowering the cost of access to telecommunications infrastructure. The adoption of AI and robotic machines would fulfil this policy by using software applications that strengthen the infrastructure and aid in providing information in a more efficient way.
Study objectives
The purpose of the study was to examine the legislation and policy framework to apply AI in the information services of the University of Limpopo library in South Africa. The following were the objectives of the study:
Determine the legislation and policy framework to apply AI in the information services of the University of Limpopo library. Recommend a framework to use a legislation and policy framework to apply AI in the information services of the University of Limpopo library.
Research methodology
This study adopted a convergent mixed methods research approach to investigate the use of AI in the information services at the University of Limpopo library. The researcher used this design to compare quantitative numerical results with qualitative results, thereby enhancing the understanding of the research problem (Creswell and Creswell, 2017). The researcher opted for a pluralistic ontological and pragmatic epistemological world view to investigate the application of AI to provide information services at the University of Limpopo library. Based on Ngulube's (2019) definition of pluralism and Ghiara's (2020) description of how the combined ontologies from qualitative and quantitative methodologies bring about better results or assumptions about a studied phenomenon, this study adopted the pluralism ontological perspective. The researcher adopted pragmatism because a pragmatic approach to research methods has less reliance on philosophical assumptions (Ngulube, 2015). This allows researchers to be less constrained in their research methods. Rather than choosing between the positivist or interpretivist paradigms, pragmatism considers ‘what works’ to address research questions (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Onwuegbuzie and Johnson, 2006).
The population for this study was 14 University of Limpopo library staff employees, comprising three library management staff, one information technology librarian and 10 information librarians. The data was collected using questionnaires administered to the information librarians and interviews with the University of Limpopo library management staff and the information technology librarian. The quantitative data was analysed using tables and figures. To analyse the qualitative data, the researcher used Atlas.ti software. The researcher presented the quantitative and qualitative data convergently, using content analysis for the qualitative data and descriptive analysis for the quantitative data; however, the data was integrated during the interpretation stage (Creswell and Plano-Clark, 2018). The data is presented according to the structure of the questionnaire. The researcher sent out 10 online questionnaires using Google Forms to 10 information librarians; however, only six responded.
The study received institutional ethics approval from the College Research and Ethics Committee of the College of Human Sciences at the University of South Africa on 27 September 2023 (reference number 69232539_CREC_CHS_2023) and was conducted in accordance with approved ethical standards. The researcher informed the respondents and participants about the study's purpose and ensured their participation was entirely voluntary during the data collection by issuing consent forms. The researcher informed the respondents and participants that the study would solely use the information they provided, ensuring their identities remained completely anonymous. The replies were kept entirely private, and the study's findings were disclosed completely and honestly.
Population study data set
The below table shows the demographics of the population used to collect data for the study.
Demographics.
Results
This section presents the results of the research and analyses the data. The data is analysed according to the objectives of the study. Data analysis is very important, as it gives meaning and understanding to a study for both the researcher and the reader. Babbie (2013) goes on to say that by organising details into a logical representation or model, data analysis guarantees that theories and concepts become clear. The researcher used mixed methods to collect data and applied a convergent design. The findings are presented in graphs to simplify the data. The study findings have been presented through written descriptions, tables and quotes in their original form (verbatim). The information services respondents were coded from 1 to 6 and participants from 1 to 3. The results have been presented in alignment with the research objectives, which were inspired by the study's purpose of investigating the legislation and policies of AI for the provision of information services at the University of Limpopo library.
Legislation for information services in relation to the application of AI
The respondents were asked closed-ended questions about whether the University of Limpopo adheres to any legislative framework for the provision of information services using AI. Two respondents stated that there is no legislation on AI, while four stated that there is legislation that is being followed and used to guide the use of AI for information service delivery.
The respondents were also asked a closed-ended question to select the legislation used in the University of Limpopo library’s information services. Three respondents chose the Constitution; five the Promotion of Access to Information Act; three the Protection of Personal Information Act; two the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act; and two the National Council for Library and Information Services. Figure 1 depicts the responses, revealing that only five responded. The sixth did not answer the question (Figure 1).
Legislation that is used for information services in relation to the application of AI.
The participants were also asked if there is any legislation in place to govern the use of AI in information services. Two agreed that AI legislation exists, while one disagreed. The participants in the interviews also mentioned the following legislation: Copyright Act; we also have a plagiarism policy that serves the university. Those are the laws we must apply because we are directed by the university's senior management, so if any laws, rules and regulations get passed to us, then we have to attend to them. Client service deals with library rules, how students must conduct themselves in the library, and how we, as staff, must conduct ourselves towards the students. We need to have posters in place, especially when it comes to copyright. So, there must be staff who oversee that. We also have DALRO [Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation], so when it comes to upholding the legal aspect, we have the form that is kept with client services, and we also have a copyright officer. (Participant 1) Copyright, plagiarism, any law from the university and library rules such as DALRO form. (Participant 2)
The document analysis revealed that the library follows copyright procedures. Patrons are not allowed to exceed 10% in copying any available information resource within the University of Limpopo library. The documents also attached a DALRO form, which ensures proper regulations of the copyright.
Information services covered by the legislation that governs the University of Limpopo library
The respondents were asked to select the information services that the legislation is applied to. Two ticked ‘data protection’; all six selected ‘copyright’; one selected ‘information storage’; four selected ‘licensing agreement’; three selected ‘information privacy’; and none chose ‘infusing AI tools’ (see Figure 2).
What is the legislation used for in Information services?
Gaps in the legislation for addressing AI
The respondents were asked to list the gaps they believe exist in the legislative framework used in the University of Limpopo library. They answered as follows: People and staff are not aware. (Respondent 1) Lack of skill from higher positions and lack of motivation. (Respondent 2) The ethical use of information. (Respondent 3) Lack of a clear AI policy. (Respondent 4) The policy does not address the usage of AI tools. (Respondent 5)
Respondent 6 did not provide an answer to this question.
The interview participants were also asked to identify the gaps in the legislation that governs the University of Limpopo library. Participant 1 stated that there are no gaps; Participant 2 stated that the print dep[artmen]t should also complete the DALRO form, because we are moving into this electronic mode and, with this movement, students learn online, students want fast access, which is fine, but it needs to be controlled. Blackboard must also be monitored for copyright. There must be measures in place to detect copyright violations; and Participant 3 stated that ‘the library should formulate legislation that would address AI’.
The respondents were further asked to give their opinions on what they believe can be done to bridge the gaps in the legislative framework used in the University of Limpopo library. The following responses were given: Policy should be drafted. (Respondent 1) More training of AI library services and tools, more exposure is needed regarding AI library technologies. (Respondent 2) More policies to be drafted addressing electronic information access and usage. (Respondent 3) Implementation of AI policy in the library. (Respondent 4) A separate policy about the AI is needed. (Respondent 5)
In the interviews, Participant 1 stated that ‘user needs change so there should be improvements’; Participant 2 stated that the ‘University of Limpopo should have technologies to detect copyright for both print and blackboard’; and Participant 3 stated that ‘legislation should be reviewed and include the use of AI’.
Are the any policies that govern the use of AI in the university of Limpopo library?
The researcher asked the respondents to determine whether there are any policies governing the use of AI in the University of Limpopo library. They were asked a closed-ended question about whether there is a policy in place to incorporate AI. Only two respondents said ‘yes’ and four said ‘no’.
During the interviews, all of the participants responded that there is no policy in place for AI – for example: No, we do not have AI policy, but we do have a library policy that was recently updated; it still has to undergo some processes because we are aware of artificial intelligence within the LIS field. (Participant 1) Not yet developed. (Participant 2)
The respondents were further asked through open-ended questions to elaborate on their answer given in the previous question. They responded with what the UL library policies cover: Yes. There is redress regarding e-resources. (Respondent 1) Ethical use of information. (Respondent 2) The policy addresses the use of self-check unit and the RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] systems. (Respondent 3)
The respondents were asked through open-ended questions to further state what the policy addresses if it does not address AI based on their response of ‘no’ in the previous question: Access to electronic resources. (Respondent 1) 24 h[our] access of electronic information resources. (Respondent 2) No policy. (Respondent 3)
The other three respondent did not provide an answer.
Policies used for information services
The respondents were asked to select from a list of policies used to govern the University of Limpopo library using closed-ended questions. Figure 3 demonstrates that six respondents indicated that the library has its own policy and one respondent selected the information policy.
Policies used for information services.
The interviewees were asked to name and list all policies used in the University of Limpopo library. Their responses were as follows: Library policy and collection development policy. (Participant 1) Copyright policy, plagiarism policy, collection management policy, and library and information services policy. (Participant 2) Library policies. (Participant 3)
The document analysis provided the use of a University of Limpopo library policy and copyright and plagiarism policy, as well as a collection management policy.
Aspects covered by the policies at the University of Limpopo library information services
The respondents were asked closed-ended questions to select all relevant aspects covered by the policies. Six respondents indicated access to information; four selected answering students’ queries; four selected conducting reference interviews; three selected information policy; and one selected using the AI tool (see Figure 4).
What aspects do the policies cover at the University of Limpopo library information services.
The interviewees were also asked to indicate the aspects that are covered by the policies used in the University of Limpopo library. The responses were as follows: Copyright, collection development, weeding and catalogue. (Participant 1) Circulation/loans of information resources, copyright, library membership, access to other libraries, acquisition of resources, cataloguing and institutional repositories. (Participant 2) Information services, technical, acquisitions, client services, interlibrary loan and circulation. (Participant 3)
Gaps in the information service policies regarding AI
The respondents were asked open-ended questions to identify the gaps they believe exist in the University of Limpopo library information services policy regarding AI. The responses were as follows: The University of Limpopo library policy does not address AI. (Respondent 1) Answering students’ queries, use of AI tool. (Respondent 2) Lack of library AI tools/services. (Respondent 3) There is no provision for the use of AI. (Respondent 4) Lack of AI policy. (Respondent 5) The policy does not state all the AI tools and address their usages. (Respondent 6)
The interview participants were also asked to state the gaps they believe exist in the University of Limpopo library and responded as follows: As you have mentioned AI, I think maybe we’ve got a line on artificial intelligence in our policy. So, maybe that's one of the gaps because I was thinking that maybe we need to go back to the policy and include something that is a little more substantial on how the library will move into using AI. (Participant 1) The adoption of AI, as it is still a new thing in libraries. Legislations should also be developed to guide the library when acquiring the use of AI. (Participant 2) Yes, AI. (Participant 3)
The respondents were further asked through open-ended questions to give their opinions on what they believe should be done to improve the policy so that it can accommodate the use of AI. These were their responses: Library policy should accommodate AI. (Respondent 1) Invent more AI technologies in the library. (Respondent 2) Policies are reviewed every 3–5 years, and such an inception will be made given how the evolving rate of access and use of electronic information resources impacts teaching, learning and research within the institution. (Respondent 3) Implement the AI policy. (Respondent 4) A separate policy that only talks about the digitisation of library material. (Respondent 5)
The interview participants also shared their opinions on what they believe should be done to bridge the gaps in the University of Limpopo information service policy: The policy should address the use of AI. Have technologies to detect copyright for both print and blackboard. (Participant 1) Adopt advanced library services and embrace the new technologies. Also, benchmark with the libraries that have already adopted the use of AI. And try to acquire some of the AI tools to improve the services. (Participant 2) Should review and include AI. (Participant 3)
Discussion
This section delves into the interpretation and discussion of the findings, focusing on the first objective, which is to ‘determine the legislation and policy framework to apply AI in the information services of the University of Limpopo library’. According to the literature review, libraries and information services need laws that guide them to function effectively, such as a legal framework, a policy regime and administrative arrangements (Nkondo et al., 2014). This section discusses the policies and legislation used to provide information services at the University of Limpopo library.
Legislation governing the University of Limpopo library
The literature indicates that there is currently no legislation in South Africa that addresses the adoption of AI. However, most of the questionnaire respondents and interview participants agreed that there is legislation governing the use of AI in the University of Limpopo library. This could be due to their inability to distinguish between the laws governing aspects of LIS and those pertaining to AI adoption. Although there is no specific law on AI in South Africa at present, there is a wider legal framework in which debates about any rules, laws or recommendations pertaining to responsible AI use in society and government should take place (Brand, 2022). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Promotion of Access to Information Act, Protection of Personal Information Act, Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, and National Council for Library and Information Services govern the University of Limpopo LIS, but none of these laws specifically address AI use. The interview participants also mentioned the Copyright Act: Copyright Act; we also have a plagiarism policy that serves the university. Those are the laws we must apply because we are directed by the university's senior management, so if any laws, rules and regulations get passed to us, then we have to attend to them. Client service deals with library rules, how students must conduct themselves in the library, and how we, as staff, must conduct ourselves towards the students. We need to have posters in place, especially when it comes to copyright. So, there must be staff who oversee that. We also have DALRO [Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation], so when it comes to upholding the legal aspect, we have the form that is kept with client services, and we also have a copyright officer. (Participant 1)
Information services covered by legislation in the University of Limpopo library
The respondents indicated the services covered by legislation, but none have the infusion of AI. This could be because, currently, there is no legislation that covers the use of AI in South Africa. However, legislation covers information policy, licensing agreements for subscriptions made by library acquisitions, information storage and data protection. Effective legislation must be implemented as a suitable means of acting to promote citizenship and equity in the information society so that libraries and other information organisations may offer better services that are inclusive for all users. The implementation of legislation in information services ensures equality and quality of information. Users may exercise their right to information access, as stipulated in the Promotion of Access to Information Act.
Gaps in legislation for addressing the use of AI in providing information services
The questionnaire respondents indicated that there are gaps in the legislation. It does not address the use of AI and there is a lack of clear AI policy. The literature indicates that the specific policies and legislation regarding AI in academic libraries in South Africa are currently unclear (Oyetola et al., 2023). This could potentially explain why the University of Limpopo library lacks specific policies and legislation governing the use of AI. Interview Participant 2 highlighted the existence of gaps in the library's governing body, in addition to the lack of AI integration: The print dep[artmen]t should also complete the DALRO form, because we are moving into this electronic mode and, with this movement, students learn online, students want fast access, which is fine, but it needs to be controlled. Blackboard must also be monitored for copyright. There must be measures in place to detect copyright violations.
Are there any policies that govern the use of AI in university of Limpopo library?
Most of the questionnaire respondents and all the interview respondents said that the University of Limpopo library has no AI policy. This could be because AI is still a new phenomenon in South Africa and policymakers have yet to incorporate AI into the formulation of LIS policies. The literature reveals that successive policies and plans have emerged in the education sector, focusing on data and AI. For instance, the Department of Basic Education's 2019–20 annual performance plan lists ICT as a priority intervention, incorporating the adoption of robots, coding and AI (Jantjies, 2020). However, libraries and information services have not endorsed these policies. Only policies that govern the use of electronics and protect user information are in place. According to Katuu and Van der Walt (2016), organisations use the available legislative frameworks to develop their own policy frameworks. Interview Participant 1 made the following observation: ‘No, we do not have AI policy, but we do have a library policy that was recently updated; it still has to undergo some processes because we are aware of artificial intelligence within the LIS field’.
While there are currently no specific policies or legislation regarding AI in academic libraries in South Africa, it is important for libraries to take proactive measures to assess and address the implications of AI integration in their services (Das and Islam, 2021). Therefore, organisations such as the University of Limpopo have taken the initiative to develop their own policies, such as library policies and copyright policies, to govern their libraries.
Policies used for information services at the University of Limpopo library
All six questionnaire respondents and three of the interview participants indicated that the University of Limpopo library has an approved library policy. The institution may have communicated that the approved library policy should guide information service delivery. The literature review indicates that libraries and information services need laws that guide them to function effectively, such as a legal framework, a policy regime and administrative arrangements (Nkondo et al., 2014). The respondents mentioned policies such as the library policy, and the interview participants added the collection development policy and copyright policy as the available policies at the University of Limpopo library. Interview Participant 2 pointed out that the library utilises a variety of additional policies: ‘Copyright policy, plagiarism policy, collection management policy, and library and information services policy’.
The University of Limpopo library uses only local or institutional library policies to govern its information services. The document analysis clearly demonstrated the application of copyright and collection development policies. The copyright policy sets out the rights and responsibilities of library users in creating and using copyrighted works.
Aspects covered by the policies at the University of Limpopo library information services
The questionnaire respondents indicated that the policies cover aspects such as answering students’ queries, conducting reference interviews and accessing information. The lack of relevant software in the electronics used in the library may have led a minority of the respondents to opt for AI use. The interview participants expanded on other sections of the library, such as Cataloguing and Acquisitions, to demonstrate the extent of the available policies. Interview Participant 2 stated: The policy is fourfold, I would say. So, we’ve got sections: information services; technical services that constitute cataloguing, institutional repository and DSpace; we’ve got acquisitions – that is the procurement of library material, be it electronic, physical or any other items that the library might need; then we’ve got client services that deals with clients in issuing and returning books as well as interlibrary loans.
Gaps in the University of Limpopo’s library information services policy regarding AI
All of the questionnaire respondents and most of the interview participants indicated that there is a gap in the University of Limpopo library’s policies. This could be because the library policies do not address the adoption and use of AI for providing information services. However, the respondents indicated that the policies address some aspects of information services, such as copyright and access. The respondents also indicated that the policies should accommodate the use of AI. Interview Participant 1 stated: As you have mentioned AI, I think maybe we’ve got a line on artificial intelligence in our policy. So, maybe that's one of the gaps because I was thinking that maybe we need to go back to the policy and include something that is a little more substantial on how the library will move into using AI.
The literature supports the notion that the government's lack of support and policy difficulties continue to be major barriers to libraries in providing effective services (Fourie and Meyer, 2016). This problem arises when libraries lack a foundation to formulate policies related to AI, as the government also lacks a policy on the subject. If policy and regulations on the adoption and utilisation of AI are stipulated in the Constitution, other sectors such as LIS will be able to tailor their policies to accommodate the use of AI in libraries.
Document analysis
The document analysis clearly shows that the only legislation that the University of Limpopo library follows is the Copyright Act No. 8 of 1978 and policies developed by the library and the institution. This is why AI policy is needed at the highest level, such as the Constitution, so that institutions may benchmark and adopt the policies in their information services. The below Table 2 shows the objectives covered and identified gaps in the Ul library policies.
Gaps identified in the university of Limpopo library policies.
This section summarises the most important research findings, focusing on the key findings rather than each specific result.
To function properly, libraries must be guided by policies and legislation. This is a summary of the findings:
The information services librarians were aware of the legislative and policy framework used to manage and provide information services. The legislative framework was applicable to providing information services. To provide information services, the University of Limpopo library used the South African legislative framework. The University of Limpopo library used the Copyright Act to provide information services. The University of Limpopo library also used the Protection of Personal Information Act to protect users’ information. The University of Limpopo library developed its policy framework, licensing agreements and library management system using the legislative framework. The policy framework guided the organisation on how information resources should be stored, protected and retrieved.
Legislation and the policy framework for AI usage
The recommendations in this section pertain to the legislative and policy framework that the University of Limpopo library utilises to provide information services. It is critical that South African academic libraries, including the University of Limpopo library, take the initiative to evaluate, create and implement laws and regulations that deal with AI integration. This will ensure the ethical and sensible compliance of AI applications with privacy, data protection and fairness guidelines. This could entail carrying out in-depth risk assessments, having discussions with interested parties and legal professionals, and creating policies and procedures for the ethical and responsible application of AI to library operations and services. The policy and legislative framework should clearly define the use of AI in providing information services. The policy should also outline the training that librarians should be involved in for better utilisation of AI in providing information services at the University of Limpopo library.
Recommended framework
The purpose of this framework is to offer guidance on legislation and the policy framework that can be followed to use AI in providing information services to the University of Limpopo library’s information librarians and library management. For the purpose of using AI to provide information services, a framework is suggested that could be applied to the legislation as guidelines (see Figure 5). The model relies on AI and the legislative framework in South Africa.
Framework to apply legislation to utilise AI in providing information services.
Framework interactions:
AI infrastructure enhances information services by enabling automation, digitisation and intelligent search capabilities. Legislation governs AI use to ensure ethical and legal compliance, protecting user data and privacy. Policies provide guidelines for implementing AI responsibly within library environments.
This model explains how the existing legislation can integrate AI and be used to guide the utilisation of AI in providing information services. The legislation stems from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
Since there is no policy or legislation on the use of AI, the researcher proposes that the existing legislation from the Constitution be infused with clauses that include or address the use of AI. The model includes AI infrastructure because, for any information services to be provided with the assistance of AI, there must be a proper and efficient infrastructure in place.
The framework highlights the use of laws such as the Protection of Personal Information Act to protect the personal information of patrons while utilising AI-embedded applications such as book renewals. The Protection of Personal Information Act should have a clause that addresses the use of AI because these applications can gather data on patrons from the Internet and cloud. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act works together with the Promotion of Access to Information Act by permitting the use of machines for activities that require electronic signatures; patrons can register for library membership and access the services that the library offers online, such as databases. The inclusion of AI in these Acts will ensure that patrons access information while their information is protected by strong authentication systems. Adherence to the Library and Information Transformation Charter, which states that librarians should acquire more technological skills to provide a more experience-based and customised services to patrons, will fall into place because librarians will have laws and guidelines to use AI technologies. AI should be integrated in South African legislation to ensure that such technological resources are used ethically and effectively for the provision of information services. The issue of ethics is very important so that the personal information of patrons is protected. Therefore, access should be restricted while security is tightened.
Conclusion
In conclusion, legislation is essential for information services. Although there is no policy or legislation in place that addresses the use of AI for information services, the University of Limpopo library employs laws such as the Protection of Personal Information Act, Promotion of Access to Information Act and Copyright Act to guarantee the effective provision of information services. The University of Limpopo library has also developed its own library policy and licensing agreements with publishers and database providers. The policy framework guides the institution on how information resources are stored, protected and retrieved. However, these policies and legislation should include guidelines on the use of AI technologies. There are many ethical issues to be considered when using AI applications such as chatbots. Also, the University of Limpopo library supports its institution academically and therefore must adhere to academic integrity by providing information services using ethical methods and utilising AI ethically as well. Having proper policies and legislation that include the use of AI would be beneficial to the University of Limpopo library in the provision of effective and efficient information services.
If properly implemented, the legal regulation of AI and robotic machines would perform tasks such as receiving and interpreting a wide range of commands and requests from patrons. This would enhance the library's effectiveness and efficiency by reducing the workload of information professionals dealing with many patrons. When the robot is operating effectively, the university's financial management team will consider the necessary finances and resources to ensure its flawless operation and maintanance.
The University of Limpopo library may find value in the outcomes of this study, as they guarantee the proper storage and management of information, facilitating simple retrieval from the various databases the university subscribes to. This study may assist policymakers at the University of Limpopo in formulating and implementing policies and legislation to use AI for information service provision. Lastly, the study adds to the existing body of knowledge in the LIS profession by integrating its findings with existing knowledge, thereby identifying new avenues for improvement and enhancement of the profession. Other university libraries may benefit from the results and adopt what is recommended in the study.
The limitations of the study are that the researcher only selected the University of Limpopo library from its three campuses as it is an academic library. The researcher included only the Information Services section of the library. Therefore more studies need to be conducted on other types of libraries and library sections.
Footnotes
Declaration of conflicting interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
