Category: Reflection Posts

There is a lot of animosity towards AI and the future. There is a lot of unknown when it comes to its potential and what it is going to mean for jobs, creativity, and critical thinking. When it just came out I didn’t know anything about it. It just felt like one day everyone was talking about it, so I was exposed to it much later. I started exploring it in little ways by asking it to help me create creative names for our craft programs in our library. At the time I didn’t know anything about how to query to get the results I wanted but I liked that it gave me inspiration to then form my own title by mixing them together or changing them a bit to make titles that I liked better.

As I’ve gone through the MLIS program, I have had the opportunity to explore using AI more. I think there are definitely a lot of concerns over the technology that are valid, but as it is still in its early days I think there is a lot of growth that can happen and a lot of potential that it could be very useful. If used correctly…

As I read the article, “Four Reasons to be Optimistic About AI’s Energy Usage”, I felt a bit more hopeful in the future of AI, especially when it comes to the environmental impact that it can have. We all know that technology isn’t going anywhere. It has become too embedded in our every day lives for that and there are going to be ways to make things more efficient. I liked the idea of the small AI models that would make the cooling more energy efficient and have them run through people’s personal devices, as that is where most people access their technology from would be the most efficient.

Technology moves fast and it’s not always where it needs to be before it starts being widely used, which is why I think it is good to still be cautious about using it. I do think it has a lot of potential and that it is important as information professionals to start learning more about it to be able to help with the hiccups that library users can run into so that we are able to provide information about it, especially when it comes to using it as an information source.

Heaven, W. D., (20 May, 2025). Four reasons to be optimistic about AI’s energy use. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116337/ai-energy-use-optimism/

Mind Matters, (18 December, 2022). Why we should not trust chatbots as sources of information. https://mindmatters.ai/2022/12/why-we-should-not-trust-chatbots-as-sources-of-information/

The idea of inclusion in libraries has really hit home with me this week. After reading “Do You Want to Dance? Inclusion and Belonging in Libraries and Beyond” by Christian Lauersen, I reflected on the idea that everyone agrees with inclusion in library, but there are hidden biases that can make us sometimes unconsciously hyper vigilant against individuals or groups of people.

I have witnessed this especially with unhoused individuals. They come into the library with a backpack or bags of their belongings. My library does not have an official policy on what they can bring in but I know some libraries limit the amount of bags as they can block walkways and present hazards. When they enter the building, it is like a trigger, I have seen staff and patrons both go on high alert like they are already convinced that they are going to cause a problem. When really they are there just like anyone else.

Libraries are supposed to provide safe spaces for the community and of course no one wants to have any issues but it’s like they want to act first to prevent any issue happening by giving into that hidden bias that there is a potential for an issue to arise before one does. This hyper vigilance includes watching them more closely than any of the other patrons as well as assuming they are in need and step in to get them help without them asking for it. No one really says they should not be in the library but there seems like there is more awareness around their presence than any other patron. They basically have to prove that they aren’t going to cause a problem over a period of time of being in the library before people start to calm down and pay them no additional attention. And to me it doesn’t sound very inclusive.

So this article had me thinking about how libraries can be more inclusive to unhoused individuals? With the state of  the world right now there, I wouldn’t doubt that there will be an increase over time and they are going to need places to go just to be out of the heat or the cold.

One of my favorite points made by Lauersen was “diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance”. And I think this is great way to think about the difference between the two concepts we must embrace as library professionals. Because I think it’s about making people feel comfortable and welcome in the space. Even though everyone is invited it’s important to make them feel like they are wanted there and not just tolerating their presence.

Lauersen, C., (2018). Do you want to dance? Inclusion and belonging in libraries and beyond. The Library Lab. https://christianlauersen.net/2018/06/07/inclusion-and-belonging-in-libraries-and-beyond/