When libraries encounter an emerging technology, we seek to identify both the threats and opportunities for our organizations. Artificial intelligence presents a significant communication challenge for libraries, requiring engagement with multiple audiences.
Audience #1: Library Staff
Effective communication is essential to a healthy, successful work environment. With the rapid growth of generative AI tools and platforms and their wide availability, several communication challenges have emerged for library staff.
How will AI impact my job?
Artificial intelligence is widely perceived as a threat to white-collar jobs, and this can be a source of anxiety for library staff. How much anxiety? I’d point out that job security occupies the second tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs! Just because this fear may go unspoken within the workplace doesn’t mean it’s absent! Honest, open conversations that acknowledge that AI will change how we work, but also reaffirm the library’s commitment to staff-driven, human-provided service to our public, are essential.
What am I supposed to/allowed to do?
As AI impacts the library workplace, staff expect guidance on how they should or shouldn’t be using AI tools and platforms at your organization. Here, I stress the library relationship; individual staff may have strong personal feelings as AI advocates, AI antagonists, and everything in between! A very real part of this communication challenge is separating personal feelings from professional obligations, and ensuring that one does not encroach on the other.
A broader discussion with staff to determine what is and isn’t organizationally appropriate can add clarity to the situation, and form the basis for an AI tool use policy. Organizations that fail to articulate these expectations will see inconsistent service to the public, and staff behaviors that however varied, are viewed as appropriate by each individual.
Audience #2: Library Patrons
How well we communicate with our users is crucial to maintaining support for our institutions. In this regard, there are a number of areas where AI will challenge us.
Why do we still need libraries?
Let’s start with the obvious–of course we do! Yet, from the rise of the internet, to ebooks, and on to agentic AI, we can always expect some segment of the population to question the relevance of the library. As library practitioners, we know the value of our institutions, and must never be caught flat-footed if questioned. In an increasingly complex information environment of increasing social isolation and decreasing privacy, I know the library has increased in value! That said, update your elevator speech and rehearse it!
What is the library’s relationship with AI?
We must define and then articulate our relationship with AI not only for our staff, but also for our patrons. Library users have equally strong and varied opinions on generative AI and its drawbacks and benefits, but they expect their library to behave ethically. How or how isn’t the library using generative AI? Is my privacy protected? Does the library exclude AI content from its collection? Transparency is important!
With respect to technology, privacy and convenience have always been at odds, and libraries have always striven to balance the two. As we assess AI tools, platforms, and use cases, there will be any number of instances where we choose not to adopt the technology. We will then need to articulate why this should be seen by our users as protecting them and defending the library’s mission, rather than as an inconvenience.
How can the library help me?
We’re the tech experts! Our users have service expectations built from years of the library providing access and training to emerging technologies. What does that look like in the age of AI? Some patrons will want to know how they can access AI tools within the library. Others will seek training on effective prompting, updated internet safety, new search strategies, or will ask staff to determine whether something they’ve seen or read is real or AI-generated. It is important that the library steps up to fill this information void, and provides some clarity! Libraries are in the process of building our staff’s AI literacy, so our own capacity to help will evolve over time, and must be communicated to library users.
Audience #3: Library Vendors
One has only to look at their library’s website to understand that vendors play an important part in the user experience, and are therefore an audience that cannot be ignored.
Communicate your expectations!
Have no doubt–library vendors are on their way with new products and solutions, as well as AI integrations into existing ones. We must have clear, meaningful conversations to ensure that the products we make available to our users are consistent with library values, and remain so throughout the relationship. That means clearly communicating that the confidentiality of patron records is non-negotiable and that any data collection requires explicit consent. It also means articulating what our actual needs are, rather than accepting vendor solutions in search of a problem. The library has no interest in purchasing a product that’s a poor organizational fit, and vendors don’t want to waste time designing products we won’t buy. Effective communication benefits both parties.
Items of Interest
- I had the pleasure of keynoting the LJ Directors’ Summit 2025. Library Journal put together a nice recap of the event.
- I gave a recent talk for the Gigabit Libraries Network on “Generative AI and the Library Collection: Risks, Realities, and Responses.” The recording is available on YouTube.
As always, if you’re looking for a speaker for your library event or staff development day, let’s talk! I cover the intersection of emerging technologies and libraries, keeping it conversational, informative, and entertaining. My calendar has been a bit crazy lately, so the further ahead we can plan, the better!
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