Automated reference service system at Kyoto University Library

This paper describes the architecture of an automated reference service system developed for Kyoto University Library. The system employs two knowledge bases; the NDLC database for handling major questions at libraries such as "I am looking for books on...", and the general knowledge base written in natural language for handling other questions. Another characteristic of the system is to be able to conduct a conversation, not just return a one time response like existing information retrieval systems.