I remember when the word artificial intelligence first started appearing in library journals, it felt distant, almost experimental, as if it belonged more to labs than to our reading rooms. But just yesterday I came across a note from the American Library Association — they have now published guidance for school librarians on how to use AI in their everyday work [1]. No wonder, because librarians today are juggling so many roles: teachers, mentors, administrators, sometimes even technologists. The ALA’s advice is not about replacing them, but about helping them — streamlining tasks, improving communication, and yes, teaching students how to use AI ethically (plagiarism, citations, authorship, all those tricky parts).
By the way, it is not just policy notes. At Illinois, the journal Library Trends has just completed a two-part special issue on generative AI and libraries [2]. I skimmed through some of the abstracts: studies on how students use ChatGPT, how faculty perceive these tools, case studies of AI literacy instruction. This is serious scholarship, freely available, meant to guide practice. It reminds me of my early days in the profession, when such research gave us the language to argue for budgets and staff — and sometimes, just the courage to try new things.
And then, in Prague, librarians and researchers gathered under the banner of an “AI Knowledge Café,” more than 650 participants thinking together about the place of libraries in national AI strategies [3]. Imagine that: librarians not just adopting AI tools quietly, but sitting at the policy table, influencing how society will treat knowledge, ethics, and inclusion in the age of algorithms.
When I read all this, I feel both hopeful and cautious. Hopeful, because libraries are no longer seen as passive — we are active shapers of how AI unfolds. Cautious, because guidance and journals and cafés will mean little without real resources, training, and recognition, especially in countries like ours where libraries carry such a heavy heritage burden across many languages.
Still, I like to think that this is the beginning of a new chapter. Librarianship in the AI age is not a threat to our role, but a chance to re-articulate it. And in my heart, I feel grateful to be part of this transition — from catalog cards to chatbots, from dusty stacks to digital literacy.
References
[1] American Library Association. AI Guidance for School Librarians. Published September 2025. https://www.ala.org/news/2025/09/ai-guidance-school-librarians
[2] iSchool at Illinois. Library Trends Completes Two-Part Series on AI and Libraries. Published September 2025. https://ischool.illinois.edu/news-events/news/2025/09/library-trends-completes-two-part-series-ai-and-libraries
[3] ALA / IFLA. Libraries Towards a National AI Strategy (AI Knowledge Café). September 2025. https://connect.ala.org/acrl/discussion/libraries-towards-a-national-ai-strategy