CBS students now have a digital study companion at their fingertips to support their academic work. The CBS Library catalogue has been enhanced with an AI-powered research assistant that helps students navigate academic literature with greater confidence. Unlike general GPT-based tools, that may hallucinate or fabricate sources, this assistant is grounded in the library’s academic collections and guides students toward credible, high-quality content. Whether students are preparing their first exam paper or working on a master’s thesis, the assistant can point them to relevant sources, explain key concepts, and suggest effective search strategies, directly within the catalogue.
A great help when exploring new topics
For lecturers, this creates an easy way to strengthen students’ information literacy. Instead of sending students to general GPT-based tools that may provide unreliable references, you can encourage them to use the research assistant as their first step when exploring a topic. The assistant can help them refine research questions, identify keywords, and uncover academic content they might otherwise miss. It is not a replacement for critical reading or sound academic library use, but it offers a useful starting point for students who are not sure where to begin.
What does the assistant do?
The assistant draws on the library’s extensive collections and provides suggestions that keep students anchored in credible academic sources. By explaining its reasoning, it allows students to see how searches are constructed and to develop more effective navigation skills. In this way, the assistant functions both as a shortcut and a learning opportunity.
We encourage lecturers to introduce the research assistant in their teaching, especially in assignments that involve literature reviews or independent research. With the assistant integrated into the CBS Library catalogue, students gain a smarter pathway to academic insight and you gain a reliable tool to support student learning.