A recurring theme that has popped out to me in our readings and lectures so far is the idea of participatory librarianship, openness, and human connection. That is, humans (librarians) engaging with humans (patrons), and vice versa, to fill information needs and to build community. Another recurring theme in our materials is the idea of evolution, change, and forward progress (Stephens, 2016, p. 2). That could be through experimentation, adaptation, and embracing technological change.

It seems to me that these ideas are currently in opposition. With technological change—specifically, the increased use of generative artificial intelligence models (“AI”)—the human component of things like reference services is diminishing. Individuals who previously might have approached a reference librarian in-person to find a resource can now pull up Gemini on their cellphone to find an answer. Individuals can ask ChatGPT for book recommendations instead of using a library’s readers’ advisory services. But, if libraries embrace this technological change, will they eventually become obsolete?

This “changing user behavior,” which hyperlinked libraries want to track and engage with, seems to pose a large threat to the current workings of many libraries (Stephens, 2016, p. 2). To be sure, this is not the first time that technology has disrupted library models. The dawn of “the computer age” and smartphones raised similar questions (Denning, 2015). Prior reports have found that students are using library services less and less (Stephens, 2016, pp. 6-7). However, it seems these changes are currently accelerating.

In my own albeit limited (so far!) librarian work, I saw this firsthand. While working at a reference desk at a law library, I had numerous patrons approach me asking for more limited forms of help, such as printing a legal form or finding a specific book they already had in mind. After engaging with them, it turns out that they had used some AI model to find what they needed. And, after further questioning, it turns out that the AI model had either pointed them to a resource inapplicable to their situation or had overlooked helpful resources we had in the law library, including in-person services and seminars. This makes sense. After all, these AI models frequently are imperfect and would not know a library’s collection as well as trained librarians.

But the fact remains that AI is being used with increasing frequency by patrons. Given this, I am not sure what the future of libraries looks like. It likely depends on the type of library, its community, and what its patrons need. A university library serving predominantly 18–22-year-olds will encounter different uses of and challenges with AI than a small local library located in rural America. Throughout this semester, I hope to think deeply about how libraries can evolve and adapt given our changing environment.

I enjoyed reading about how libraries have already changed in recent years, providing a broad array of services for communities. For example, the Los Angeles Public Library system added job hunting resources, immigration and citizenship resources, and financial literacy workshops (Mack, 2013). The San Francisco Library system now provides classes, museum passes, and vinyl records rental services to patrons (Ferrell, 2022; O’Brien, 2019). This gives me hope that librarians have the ability and drive to adapt to the challenging changes with which we are currently faced.

 References:

Denning, S. (2015, August 28). Do we need libraries? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2015/04/28/do-we-need-libraries/?utm_campaign=ForbesTech&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_channel=Technology&linkId=13831539

Ferrell, J. (2022, September 15). 13 awesome free things you can do with an SF Public Library card. Select San Francisco. https://secretsanfrancisco.com/sf-public-library-card/

Mack, C. (2013, February 17). Crowdsourced design: Why Los Angeles is asking the public to create the library of the future. Good. https://www.good.is/crowdsourced-design-why-los-angeles-is-asking-the-public-to-create-the-library-of-the-future/

O’Brien, C. (2019, June 24). How San Francisco’s public libraries are embracing their changing role. Shareable. https://www.shareable.net/how-san-francisco-public-libraries-are-embracing-their-changing-role/

Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change.