​Welcome back! As we continue this series on structuring AI prompts, it’s time to build upon the foundational techniques we’ve already explored. In this post, we’ll learn advanced prompting techniques that can help you draw out deeper insights and more sophisticated responses from AI. Whether you’re working in a research-heavy field or diving into a creative project, these advanced techniques will help you go further.

1. Chain-of-Thought Prompting

• Definition: Guiding the AI to articulate a logical, step-by-step breakdown of a complex idea or process.
• Example: "Outline the steps to develop a successful early literacy program at a local library."
• Best For: Explaining multi-step processes, enhancing logical reasoning, or providing educational content.

Chain-of-thought prompting is particularly useful for educators or anyone looking to break down complex ideas into manageable steps. It enables the AI to provide a more structured and logical explanation, ideal for tutorials and how-to guides.

Framework Tip: Use the C-A-R-E framework:

• Context: Provide the background for the library.
• Action: Describe the steps involved.
• Results: Clarify what the outcome should look like.
• Examples: Give examples for each step.

This structured approach helps AI break down processes systematically, making it ideal for educators and professionals who need detailed explanations.

​2. Role-Specific Prompting

• Definition: Instructing the AI to respond from the perspective of a specific profession or expertise.
• Example: "You are a library technology specialist. Provide a strategy for implementing a digital literacy workshop series for seniors."
• Best For: Generating expert-like advice, simulating consultations, or producing specialized content.

By assigning a role to the AI, you can tailor responses to match specific professional contexts, making this technique valuable for content that demands a high degree of expertise or specialization.

Framework Tip: Utilize the R-T-F framework:

• Role: Act as a [Role].
• Task: Create a [Task].
• Format: Show as [Format].

This technique allows users to simulate consultations or expert advice, making it highly relevant for creating specialized and professional content.

3. Prompt Chaining

• Definition: Dividing complex topics into smaller, connected prompts that build upon each other for comprehensive exploration.
• Examples: 
  • "List the key components of a library's collection development policy."
  • "Describe how user feedback can influence collection development decisions."
  • "Provide examples of successful collection development strategies from public libraries."
• Best For: Exploring topics in detail, creating structured and in-depth discussions, or educational tutorials.

Prompt chaining is great for diving deep into a subject by breaking it down into interconnected questions. This method ensures a thorough exploration and helps build a complete picture of a topic.

Framework Tip: Apply B-A-B:

• Before: Explain the problem or situation.
• Action: State the goal or desired action.
• Output: Ask for a specific format.

Framework Tip: Use the A-P-E framework to control the output:

• Action: State the task.
• Purpose: Create a purpose for the response.
• Expectation: Describe what should be avoided.

Negative prompting helps AI think outside the box and avoid common responses, ideal for generating unique and thought-provoking content.

​Advanced prompting techniques open doors to deeper, more insightful AI interactions. By applying these strategies, you can get more nuanced and detailed responses that meet your professional or creative needs. In the final post of this series, we’ll explore creative and specialized prompting techniques that push the boundaries of AI’s capabilities, allowing for more imaginative and customized interactions. Stay curious!

Welcome to the start of an exciting journey into the world of AI interactions. As someone who has spent years merging the worlds of libraries, philosophy, and technology, I’ve seen how AI tools like ChatGPT can transform the way we gather and use information. This three-part series will guide you through core, advanced, and creative techniques for structuring AI prompts to maximize the usefulness of AI in your professional or creative pursuits. Whether you're a librarian looking to enhance reference services or someone eager to experiment with AI's creative potential, these techniques will help you get the most out of your interactions.

​To interact effectively with AI, it’s crucial to start with a strong foundation. In this first post, we’ll explore core prompting techniques. Core prompting techniques help establish the basics of AI communication, ensuring clarity and precision in responses. Let’s dive in.

1. Zero-Shot Prompting

• Definition: Directly asking the AI to perform a task without providing any prior examples.
• Example: "Explain the concept of digital literacy."
• Best For: Simple definitions, explanations, or introducing new topics.

Zero-shot prompting is like starting with a blank slate. It's perfect for straightforward queries where you're looking for concise answers or explanations. When you're unsure of the AI's capacity or want a broad overview of a subject, zero-shot prompts are the go-to technique.

Tip: Specify the tone (e.g. formal, informative) and format (e.g. bullet points) to refine the response. For example, "Explain the key concepts of digital literacy in a concise, bullet-point format." This makes the response more tailored and specific to your needs.

2. One-Shot Prompting

• Definition: Providing one example to guide the AI in crafting a response.
• Example: "Describe the concept of 'resilience' in leadership, giving one example from a well-known leader."
• Best For: Clarifying specific concepts or terms, offering precise guidance through a single example.

One-shot prompting helps narrow down the focus. By providing a single example, you guide the AI toward the desired direction, ensuring more accurate and context-aware responses. It's particularly useful for slightly more nuanced topics where you need the AI to consider a specific approach or angle.

Tip: Define the audience (e.g. leadership trainees) and use analogies to make the explanation more relatable. For instance, "Describe 'resilience' in leadership for new managers using an example of a famous leader." This helps in aligning the response with the audience's understanding.

3. Few-Shot Prompting

• Definition: Offering 2-5 examples to help the AI identify patterns and provide richer responses.
• Example: "Give three different scenarios where augmented reality can enhance education."
• Best For: Achieving a more nuanced understanding and exploring diverse applications of a topic or concept.

When you need depth and variety, few-shot prompting is the answer. Providing multiple examples allows the AI to learn patterns and apply a broader range of knowledge, resulting in more comprehensive responses.

Tip: Include context or terminology relevant to the field (e.g. "augmented reality in education") to narrow down the scope and focus the AI's response on relevant details.

4. Iterative Prompting

• Definition: Asking follow-up questions or refining initial prompts based on previous AI responses.
• Example: "What are the benefits of offering maker spaces in libraries? Now, focus specifically on how they support STEM education."
• Best For: Diving deeper into specific aspects of a topic, refining the focus to enhance the depth of responses.

Iterative prompting allows for dynamic and evolving conversations with the AI. By building on previous responses, you can explore a topic in detail, uncovering various layers and perspectives.

Tip: Use questions to drive deeper exploration and ask the AI to consider multiple perspectives or counterarguments for balanced insights. This technique is ideal for complex topics that require thorough exploration from various angles.

​By mastering these core prompting techniques, you’ve taken your first step toward building more meaningful and accurate interactions with AI. Whether you’re crafting simple inquiries or laying the groundwork for deeper exploration, these basics will serve as your compass. In the next post, we’ll dive deeper into advanced prompting strategies that unlock the true potential of AI in professional contexts. Stay tuned for more!

​Friday night was overcast with intermittent drizzle and rain showers. I ended up cozying up in my tent for a peaceful night of reading, using the time to relax and finish 'The Rithmatist' by Brandon Sanderson, September's book for my monthly book club. Though I couldn’t view the stars that night, the tranquility of the campground made for a soothing start to the weekend.

​With the clouds parting on Saturday, I took full advantage of the sunshine, though I may have overdone it as I earned myself a mild sunburn. I spent the day cycling laps around Kiche Manitou campground, soaking in the lush scenery and fresh air. Later, I ventured onto a segment of the Trans Canada Trail, enjoying the thrill of exploring unfamiliar paths while embracing some of the last days of summer.

As dusk settled, anticipation grew for the evening’s highlight: Gerry Smerchanski’s renowned Bino Tour. Gerry’s passion is contagious, and his knowledge is vast. He doesn’t just point out celestial objects—he brings them to life. Using binoculars, he guided us on a tour of the night sky, giving us a deeper sense of our universe and our place within it:

• Stellar Siblings: Gerry pointed out stars with both motion and chemical composition similar to our Sun, suggesting they might have originated from the same stellar nursery. 
• The Milky Way’s Bar: We traced the dense star clouds toward the galactic center in Sagittarius and Scutum. This helped us visualize the central bar structure of the Milky Way Galaxy, gaining a better understanding of the shape of our galaxy and the location of Earth within it.
• Distant Galaxies: Although I've seen it before, spotting the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye never loses its magic. Knowing that its light has traveled 2.5 million years to reach us is surreal. For most people, the Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object visible to the naked eye, making it a truly special sight in the night sky. Under exceptional viewing conditions, some observers can glimpse the slightly more distant Triangulum Galaxy (M33).
• Cosmic Perspectives: Gerry shared insights on the Voyager 1 probe, emphasizing that even at over 62,000 km/h, it would take more than 73,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri if it were headed in that direction—a humbling reminder of the vastness of space.
• Celestial Wonders: From constellations and nebulae to open clusters, globular clusters, and binary star systems, Gerry took us on a tour across the entire sky.

I occasionally stepped away from the tour to start some astrophotography with my SeeStar S50, capturing objects along the southern horizon before they disappeared. The rest of the night was spent in blissful observation with my constellation binoculars (Orion 2x54 Ultra Wide Angle), Celestron Regal M2 100 ED Spotting Scope, and SeeStar S50. The vibrancy and clarity of the sky was breathtaking—a dark sky site is a must-visit for anyone who wants to reconnect with the universe. It’s a reminder of the skies our ancestors gazed upon before human-caused light pollution began to dim the night.

Here are the celestial objects I captured with my SeeStar S50 Saturday night (August 31st to September 1st):

• M17 (Omega Nebula): A bright emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius, famous for its swan-like appearance.
• M16 (Eagle Nebula): Home to the iconic "Pillars of Creation," this stellar nursery in the constellation Serpens is an awe-inspiring sight.
• M24 (Sagittarius Star Cloud): A dense star field in Sagittarius, packed with stars and a rich cosmic view.
• M57 (Ring Nebula): A planetary nebula in Lyra, easily recognizable by its glowing ring-like structure of gas.
• NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula): A reflection nebula in Cepheus, resembling a blooming flower.
• NGC 884 (Double Cluster): One of two open clusters in Perseus, filled with bright young stars. NGC 869, the other cluster, can also be seen in the upper part of the image below.
• M31 (Andromeda Galaxy): The largest and closest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way. Often called our sister galaxy in the local group.

​For our final night, I continued exploring the heavens with my equipment. The real treat, however, was visiting a neighbouring astronomer who owned a colossal 25-inch Dobsonian telescope—affectionately known as a "light bucket." Climbing a step ladder to reach the eyepiece, I was rewarded with views that took my breath away.

​Using an Oxygen III (OIII) filter, the Veil Nebula in the constellation Cygnus stood out with astonishing detail. This supernova remnant, a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust, appeared as intricate ethereal lacework against the dark backdrop of space. 

Here are the celestial objects I captured with my SeeStar S50 Sunday night (September 1st to September 2nd):

• M4 (Globular Cluster): A dense, spherical cluster of stars in the constellation Scorpius, one of the closest globular clusters to Earth.
• M6 (Butterfly Cluster): An open cluster in Scorpius, known for its shape resembling a butterfly in flight.
• M22 (Sagittarius Cluster): A bright globular cluster in Sagittarius, rich with stars and easily visible with binoculars.
• M10 (Globular Cluster): Found in Ophiuchus, this cluster contains hundreds of thousands of stars tightly packed together.
• M12 (Globular Cluster): Another cluster in Ophiuchus, slightly looser than M10, but no less impressive.
• M71 (Globular Cluster): A compact globular cluster in the constellation Sagitta, sitting in a rich star field.
• M27 (Dumbbell Nebula): A planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, resembling a dumbbell shape.
• NGC 869 (Double Cluster): Part of the famous Double Cluster in Perseus, glowing brightly alongside NGC 884 (seen in the lower part of the image below).
• M33 (Triangulum Galaxy): A spiral galaxy in the constellation Triangulum, the third-largest member of our local galaxy group.

​Attending the Spruce Woods Star Party was an excellent opportunity to deepen my engagement with astronomy and connect with fellow enthusiasts. Sharing observations and equipment added a collaborative aspect to my stargazing experience. From Gerry's informative Bino Tour to viewing celestial objects through various telescopes, each activity enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the night sky.

​As I left Spruce Woods Provincial Park, I appreciated both the knowledge gained and the connections made within the astronomy community. I'm already looking forward to next year's event to further explore the cosmos alongside others who share this passion.