Beyond the Black Box: Reimagining Primo VE Discovery with Explainable AI

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Our annual event is held in a hybrid format, with most sessions accessible both to on-site attendees and to those joining via Zoom.

As Ex Libris integrates generative AI into Primo VE (e.g. Primo Research Assistant), libraries are navigating increasingly opaque, AI-mediated discovery environments. While these tools improve usability, they raise concerns about transparency, oversight, and alignment with established search practices.

This presentation shares a grant-funded project at San Diego State University Library, supported by the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, to develop an explainable AI layer for Primo VE. The prototype translates natural language queries into structured Boolean strings using Microsoft AI Foundry and prompt engineering.

The system sits between user and discovery layer, exposing queries for inspection and refinement. A companion dashboard supports search and surfaces query metadata for transparency. Findings highlight challenges such as known-item searches and indexing mismatches, underscoring the need to align AI outputs with search logic while preserving user control.

IGeLU 2026

October 19–22, 2026

Taipei

Beyond the Black Box: Reimagining Primo VE Discovery with Explainable AI

Event part

Abstract

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Products or Areas of Focus

Presenters

Lucy Campbell, San Diego State University, Electronic Resources Librarian

Keven Jeffery, San Diego State University, Head of Digital Initiatives