Tzum | News: ‘Reviews by real people. I miss it so much!’ Criticism again about unusable AI reviews NBD Biblion

On LinkedIn, Annemieke Boxem does not make a murder pit out of her heart. As a collector at the Rotterdam Library, the reviews generated by the computer for NBD Biblion are of no use to her. The organization has been in crisis for some time after the strange AI reviews were introduced. That wouldn’t be the worst thing, but it recently emerged via this site that NBD Biblion has huge backlogs in sending new books.

About the AI ​​reviews, Boxem writes:

NBD Biblion was the source of information when it comes to purchasing books. This has progressed to reviews created by AI
However, these reviews are not useful for a collector. Book characteristics that you need to recommend books for different target groups are no longer mentioned.

For example, I miss judgments like; simple structure, chronological narration, not suitable for weak readers. Or that a book is a must-have for a school library.

A review now contains a summary of the book (usually the back cover) and information about the author. That’s not relevant at all. I want to know whether the book is suitable for VMBO or VWO. For the reader who is resistant or enjoys reading. The only value judgment I sometimes encounter is “written in an accessible style”.
The reading tips that Bookerang generates with the ‘book finder’ app (part of the Backstreet exhibition of the literature museum) were the final straw for me to make this post.

Reviews by real people. I miss it so much! It is really the wrong cost saving, but the NBD does not respond to the request to reverse it.

Boxem calls on her fellow collectors to turn the tide.