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Date of Award
5-6-2026
Document Type
Video Recording
Abstract
NotebookLM is a unique AI-powered research tool that relies on materials the user uploads to explain, summarize, compare, and generate content. UGA librarians saw this as an opportunity to explore how AI might support undergraduate engagement with archival and other primary sources. They compiled a curated set of materials related to the Brooklyn Cemetery in Athens, Georgia - including cemetery records, newspaper coverage, and oral histories - which were then uploaded into the system. The chat feature allows students to identify connections and recurring themes across sources, trace shifts in language over time, and compare official narratives with community perspectives. Rather than replacing close reading, NotebookLM functions as a scaffold for discovery, helping students surface research questions and contextual patterns while remaining grounded in the archival record itself. At the same time, the tool emphasizes critical engagement: students are encouraged to interrogate the biases embedded in both the archival materials and the AI-generated synthesis, and to situate their findings within broader historical scholarship.
Recommended Citation
Devaney, Sheila and Palmer, Megan, "AI as Research Companion: Enhancing Undergraduate Engagement with Archival Materials" (2026). 2026 Southeastern Conference (SEC) AI Library Summit. 16.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/sec-ai-2026/16
