UFS Library & Information Services

The Interest Group for Bibliographic Standards (IGBIS) Community of Practice (CoP), in collaboration with the IFLA AI Committee, LIASA, National Library of South Africa (NLSA), and National University of Lesotho (NUL), successfully hosted the AI-Powered Metadata & Knowledge Discovery Symposium.

The symposium brought together information specialist, librarians, researchers, and AI enthusiasts to explore how Artificial Intelligence is transforming metadata management, knowledge discovery, and research visibility.

Participants benefited from insightful presentations, including an engaging session by Bongigwe Shongwe from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), as well as interactive discussions and practical demonstrations of innovative AI tools such as MarcAI, an AI-powered library cataloguing solution, and CatalogerGPT. These demonstrations showcased how AI is revolutionising cataloguing, metadata creation, and information discovery within libraries and research environments.

The programme also featured a valuable presentation on AI in Cataloguing by Soretha du Plessis from Sabinet and OCLC, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating AI into cataloguing workflows.

The symposium reinforced the growing role of AI in enhancing library services, improving metadata quality, increasing research visibility, and supporting the digital transformation of information institutions across Africa and beyond.