Abstract

The study examines artificial intelligence and digital preservation strategies in university libraries in Rivers State, Nigeria. Four objectives and four research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprises 120 staff from three university libraries in Rivers State, Nigeria. University of Port Harcourt 32 (18 professionals and 14 paraprofessionals), Rivers State University 53 (10 Professionals and 43 paraprofessionals), Ignatius Ajuru University of Education 35, (11 professionals and 24 paraprofessionals). Only 105 copies of the questionnaire were found valid for analysis. A descriptive survey was adopted for the study. The census sampling technique was employed in the study, where the entire population served as the sample size. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured Questionnaire titled "Artificial Intelligence and Digital Preservation Strategies Questionnaire (AIDPS)”. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that automated metadata generation, digital object identification, predictive maintenance, and risk management, among others, were some of the ways AI technologies can enhance the preservation of digital resources. Governance and policy, as well as sustainable infrastructure, were identified as some of the strategies that can be developed to guide the sustainability of AI and digital preservation. Again, the study reveals that AI saves time, detects and repairs corrupted or degraded files, and improves accessibility for researchers and students, among others. Bias and inaccuracy in metadata and classification, resources, and cost barriers, and digital obsolescence of AI models were discovered as some of the challenges affecting the application of AI in the preservation of digital resources, among others. Based on the findings, the study recommended that: universities should integrate AI technologies into their digital repositories to automate metadata generation, the various strategies identified should be implemented or considered to guide the ethical use, implementation, and maintenance of AI tools in digital preservation, among others.