Bridging the AI gap: Comparative analysis of AI integration,education,and outreach in academic libraries

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini, and Copilot, have revolutionized education, capturing the attention of faculty, administration, and students alike. Academic libraries have actively engaged in facilitating the use of AI technologies while addressing challenges like misinformation, academic integrity concerns, and ethical considerations. This study examines AI integration, education, and outreach in academic libraries across Europe, North America (Canada and USA), Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. An environmental scan of 40 academic library websites from the Times Higher Education 10 highest-ranked libraries in each region was conducted. Results show that more than 50% of the libraries offered educational materials and 42.5% conducted educational activities, while only 12.5% included AI policies. The study results demonstrate that although many libraries have begun to integrate AI into their services, significant differences exist between regions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Keywords

Academic libraries AI integration AI literacy generative AI in education AI literacy initiatives

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adekoya

Fasae

Alade

(2024) Academic libraries, ICT use and sustainable higher education development. Information Discovery and Delivery 52(1): 1–10.

Adetayo

(2023) Conversational assistants in academic libraries: Enhancing reference services through Bing Chat. Library Hi Tech News. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-08-2023-0142.

Aguilar

(1967) Scanning the Business Environment. New York: Macmillan.

Akakpo

(2024) Skilled for the future: Information literacy for AI use by university students in Africa and the role of librarians. Internet Reference Services Quarterly 28(1): 19–26.

Arakpogun

Elsahn

Olan

, et al. (2021) Artificial intelligence in Africa: Challenges and opportunities. In: The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Implementation of Artificial Intelligence for Growing Business Success. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 375–388.

Arciniegas

Gómez

Gregorio-Chaviano

(2018) La biblioteca universitaria y su rol en los procesos de investigación: Una mirada desde los servicios de información con enfoque bibliométrico en Colombia. Biblios 72: 113–129.

Arellano

Mireles

(2018) Desafíos de las bibliotecas de universidades públicas en México. Reflexiones hacia el futuro. Revista Interamericana de Bibliotecología 41(2): 195–203.

Bakare-Fatungase

(2024) Sustainable adaptability of the library ecosystem in the 4.0 era: A routeway for achieving sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4). In: Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in the Service Sector. Hershey: IGI Global, 1–13.

Bakare

Oladokun

Quadri

, et al. (2023) ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in teaching and learning as integrative pathways to contemporary university education. In: Creative AI Tools and Ethical Implications in Teaching and Learning. Hershey: IGI Global, 168–180.

10.

Barsha

Munshi

(2023) Implementing artificial intelligence in library services: A review of current prospects and challenges of developing countries. Library Hi Tech News 41(1): 7–10.

11.

Bradley

(2022) Representation of libraries in artificial intelligence regulations and implications for ethics and practice. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association 71(3): 189–200.

12.

Buitrago-Ciro

(2024) Reflexiones sobre los desafíos éticos de la inteligencia artificial en la educación superior: Crisis e incertidumbre. In: Morales

(ed.) Información y Crisis. Mexico City: Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas y de la Información. Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México, 159–178.

13.

Cao

Liang

(2018) How to make the library smart? The conceptualization of the smart library. Electronic Library 36(5): 811–825.

14.

Charlton

Doucet

Azar

, et al. (2019) The use of the environmental scan in health services delivery research: A scoping review protocol. BMJ open 9(9): e029805.

15.

Choo

(1999) The art of scanning the environment. American Society for Information Science and Technology 25(3): 21–24.

16.

Choo

(2001) Environmental scanning as information seeking and organizational learning. Information Research 7(1). Available at: https://www.informationr.net/ir/7-1/paper112.html.

17.

Cordell

(2020) Machine learning + libraries: A report on the state of the field. LC Labs, Library of Congress. Available at: https://labs.loc.gov/static/labs/work/reports/Cordell-LOC-ML-report.pdf?loclr=blogsig

18.

Cox

(2023) How artificial intelligence might change academic library work: Applying the competencies literature and the theory of the professions. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 74(3): 367–380.

19.

Cox

Mazumdar

(2024) Defining artificial intelligence for librarians. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 56(2): 330–340.

20.

Cox

Tzoc

(2023) ChatGPT implications for academic libraries. College and Research Libraries News 84(3): 99–102.

21.

Crowell

(2023). Why AI’s diversity crisis matters, and how to tackle it. Available at: https://www-nature-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/articles/d41586-023-01689-4.

22.

Daimari

Mondal

Brahma

, et al. (2023) Favorite book prediction system using machine learning algorithms. Journal of Applied Engineering and Technological Science 4(2): 983–991.

23.

De Leon

LCR

Flores

Alomo

ARL

(2024) Artificial intelligence and Filipino academic librarians: Perceptions, challenges and opportunities. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association 73(1): 66–83.

24.

Demaidi

(2023) Artificial intelligence national strategy in a developing country. AI & Society. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01779-x.

25.

De Zúñiga

Goyanes

Durotoye

(2024) A scholarly definition of artificial intelligence (AI): Advancing AI as a conceptual framework in communication research. Political Communication 41(2): 317–334.

26.

Ehrenpreis

DeLooper

(2022) Implementing a chatbot on a library website. Journal of Web Librarianship 16(2): 120–142.

27.

Espina-Romero

Noroño Sánchez

Gutiérrez Hurtado

, et al. (2023) Which industrial sectors are affected by artificial intelligence? A bibliometric analysis of trends and perspectives. Sustainability 15(16): 12176. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12176.

28.

Ferrara

(2024) The butterfly effect in artificial intelligence systems: Implications for AI bias and fairness. Machine Learning with Applications 15: 100525. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect-com-443.web.bisu.edu.cn/science/article/pii/S266682702400001X.

29.

Frederick

(2020) Librarians in the era of artificial intelligence and the data deluge. Library Hi Tech News 37(7): 1–7.

30.

Gasparini

Kautonen

(2022) Understanding artificial intelligence in research libraries: Extensive literature review. LIBER Quarterly: The Journal of the Association of European Research Libraries 32(1): 1–36.

31.

Greene

Groenendyk

(2021) An environmental scan of virtual and augmented reality services in academic libraries. Library Hi Tech 39(1): 37–47.

32.

Hamad

Al-Fadel

Shehata

AMK

(2023) The level of digital competencies for the provision of smart information service at academic libraries in Jordan. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication 73(4–5): 614–633.

33.

Hervieux

Wheatley

(2021) Perceptions of artificial intelligence: A survey of academic librarians in Canada and the United States. Journal of Academic Librarianship 47(1): 102270.

34.

Hodonu-Wusu J

(2024) The rise of artificial intelligence in libraries: The ethical and equitable methodologies, and prospects for empowering library users. AI and Ethics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-024-00432-7.

35.

Hussain

(2023) Use of artificial intelligence in the library services: Prospects and challenges. Library Hi Tech News 40(2): 15–17.

36.

Jain

Akakandelwa

(2016) Challenges of twenty-first century academic libraries in Africa. African Journal of Library, Archives & Information Science 26(2): 145–153.

37.

Jenkins

Zhang

(2024) The role of AI in library services. Available at: https://www-elsevier-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/connect/the-role-of-ai-in-library-services

38.

Kautonen

Gasparini

(2023) Research libraries approaching trustworthy artificial intelligence. In: CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Technical University of Aachen.

39.

Kavulya

(2007) Digital libraries and development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of challenges and strategies. Electronic Library 25(3): 299–315.

40.

Lebreton

(2021) Report on artificial intelligence: questions of interpretation and application of international law in so far as the EU is affected in the areas of civil and military uses and of state authority outside the scope of criminal justice. European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0001_EN.html

41.

Lemaitre

(2017) Quality assurance in Latin America: Current situation and future challenges. Tuning Journal for Higher Education 5(1): 21–40.

42.

Lequesne

Loiseau

Maclure

, et al. (2024) Dialogues interdisciplinaires: Les risques majeurs de l’IA générative. OBVIA. Available at: https://www.obvia.ca/ressources/dialogues-interdisciplinaires-les-risques-majeurs-de-lia-generative

43.

Liman

Aliyu

(2023) Digital transformation and innovation of academic libraries: A content analysis. Samaru Journal of Information Studies 23(1): 1–15.

44.

(2023) AI Policies across the globe: Implications and recommendations for libraries. IFLA Journal 49(4): 645–649.

45.

(2024) Evaluating AI literacy in academic libraries: A survey study with a focus on U.S. employees. College & Research Libraries 85(5): 1–60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.5.635.

46.

Lund

Omame

Tijani

, et al. (2020) Perceptions toward artificial intelligence among academic library employees and alignment with the diffusion of innovations’ adopter categories. College 81(5): 865.

47.

Michalak

(2023) From ethics to execution: The role of academic librarians in artificial intelligence (AI) policy-making at colleges and universities. Journal of Library Administration 63(7): 928–938.

48.

MIT Libraries (2021) Libraries’ statement on AI and disinformation. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from https://libraries.mit.edu/news/libraries-statement/31868/

49.

Mora

Serra

Vieira

(2018) Social engagement in Latin American Universities. Higher Education Policy 31(3): 513–534.

50.

Nagi

Rogers Van

Hoffman

(2020) Using a rapid environmental scan methodology to map country-level global health research expertise in Canada. Health Research Policy and Systems 18: 1–14.

51.

Nawaz

Saldeen

(2020) Artificial intelligence chatbots for library reference services. Journal of Management Information and Decision Sciences 23: 442–449.

52.

Nayyer

Rodriguez

(2022) Ethical Implications of Implicit Bias in AI: Impact for Academic Libraries. Chicago: ACRL.

53.

Nureña

(2019) Bibliotecas universitarias y proyección social: Diferencias y extremos en América Latina. Investigación bibliotecológica 33(80): 117–132.

54.

Okunlaya

Syed Abdullah

Alias

(2022) Artificial intelligence (AI) library services innovative conceptual framework for the digital transformation of university education. Library Hi Tech 40(6): 1869–1892.

55.

Poellhuber

Roy

Lepage

(2024) Artificial intelligence in higher education: Opportunities, issues, and challenges. In: Régis

Denis

Axente

, et al. (eds) Human-Centered AI: A Multidisciplinary Perspective for Policy-Makers, Auditors, and Users. Boca Raton, London, New York: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 151–162.

56.

Roy

(2023) L’intelligence artificielle décodée. In: Radio-Canada. Available at: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/videos/18-845870/intelligence-artificielle-decodee

57.

Sandhu

(2018) The role of academic libraries in the digital transformation of the universities. In: 2018 5th International Symposium on Emerging Trends and Technologies in Libraries and Information Services (ETTLIS), pp.292–296.

58.

Sastry

Heim

Belfield

, et al. (2024) Computing power and the governance of artificial intelligence. arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.08797. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2402.087.

59.

Sharma

(2012) Academic libraries and technology in developing countries in the twenty-first century. In: Sharma

(ed.) Libraries in the Early 21st Century. An International Perspective, vol. 2. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 53–76.

60.

Sheikh

Prins

Schrijvers

(2023) Mission AI. Research for Policy. Cham: Springer

61.

Stanford Libraries (2023) Integrating generative AI tools into library collections: Challenges and solutions. Available at: https://library.stanford.edu/news/integrating-generative-ai-tools-library-collections-challenges-and-solutions (accessed 24 October 2024).

62.

Stiegler

(1998) Technics and Time. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

63.

Sutton

(1996) Future service models and the convergence of functions: The reference librarian as technician, author and consultant. The Reference Librarian 25(54): 125–143.

64.

Tait

Martzoukou

Reid

(2016) Libraries for the future: The role of IT utilities in the transformation of academic libraries. Palgrave Communications 2(1): 1–9.

65.

Times Higher Education (2023) World university ranking 2023. Available at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2023/world-ranking (accessed 5 March 2025).

66.

University of Helsinki (2023) AI arrives in the library. Available at: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-university-library/follow-news/about-library/annual-report-2023/ai-arrives-library (accessed 24 October 2024)

67.

Uzwyshyn

(2018) Academic libraries and technology: An environmental scan towards future possibility. In: Holbrook

(eds) Academic and Digital Libraries: Emerging Directions and Trends. New York: Nova, 63–86.

68.

Walker

Jiang

(2019) Application of adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) in demand-driven acquisition (DDA) prediction: A machine-learning approach. Journal of Academic Librarianship 45(3): 203–212.

69.

Wójcik

(2021) Augmented intelligence technology. The ethical and practical problems of its implementation in libraries. Library Hi Tech 39(2): 435–447.

70.

Xiao

Gao

(2020) Connecting the dots: Reader ratings, bibliographic data, and machine-learning algorithms for monograph selection. The Serials Librarian 78(1–4): 117–122.

71.

Zhang

Majid

Foo

(2012) Environmental scanning—an emerging discipline for LIS education. In: Spink

Singh

(eds) Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Asia-Oceania, Vol. 2. Leeds: Emerald, 125–147.

72.

Zhang

(2023) The impact of the artificial intelligence industry on the number and structure of employments in the digital economy environment. Technological Forecasting & Social Change 197: 122881.