Public Services Quarterly

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AI in academic libraries: The future is now

Derek Marshall & Joy DuBose

To cite this article: Derek Marshall & Joy DuBose (2024) AI in academic libraries: The future is
now, Public Services Quarterly, 20:2, 150-155, DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2024.2331124
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Published online: 07 May 2024.

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PUBLIC SERVICES QUARTERLY
2024, VOL. 20, NO. 2, 150–155
https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2024.2331124

TECHNOLOGY
Joy DuBose, Column Editor

COLUMN DESCRIPTION. The Technology column examines current and developing technology
topics in libraries. The column’s focus is creative uses of technology, introductions to new technol­
ogies, and critiques of current technologies, their uses, or their future. Readers interested in contri­
buting ideas or writings to this column may contact column editor Joy Dubose.

AI in academic libraries: The future is now

Derek Marshalla and Joy DuBoseb
a
Director for Branch Libraries and the Interim Director for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation at
Mississippi State University Libraries, MI, USA; bAssociate Professor, Extended Reality and Gaming
Librarian, Mississippi State University Libraries, MI, USA

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a new technology, as many industries Artificial intelligence;
have been using it for years. Recently, it has become a more avail­ academic integrity; ChatGPT
able asset to university students and faculty. Due to this interest,
guidelines and practices are being established in universities and
academic libraries on how best to use AI. This paper covers some of
the challenges currently facing academia when it comes to AI and
the various ways AI can benefit academic libraries in teaching, collec­
tion services, and aspects of accessibility.

Introduction
Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. Social media, art,
music, and entertainment have all taken advantage of different forms of AI to influence
and enhance their industries. In academia, AI has become a useful tool, propelling
scholarship forward, but with it has come many concerns over its ethical use. Many
universities are developing programs to incorporate AI into the classroom as well as
best practices to ensure it is used appropriately by faculty and students alike. Since aca­
demic libraries are the cornerstone of universities, they have also been developing best
practices to better assist faculty and students in using these tools. By looking at a brief
history of AI, the challenges currently facing universities, and the different ways aca­
demic libraries can make use of AI it is possible to understand how these technologies
can be used as a resource for faculty, students, and librarians.

Brief history of AI
Though AI may have only recently gained the spotlight, it has been employed by differ­
ent industries for decades. Alan Turing, a mathematician who famously decoded the

CONTACT Derek Marshall DMarshall@library.msstate.edu Director for Branch Libraries and the Interim Director
for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation at Mississippi State University Libraries, MI, USA
Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editor: Joy DuBose jdubose@library.msstate.edu
Mississippi State University Libraries, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA.
� 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
 PUBLIC SERVICES QUARTERLY 151

Enigma machines used by Germans during World War II, is widely considered the
founding father of AI. “Turing’s 1950 paper ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence’
introduced many of the core ideas of AI, including machine learning … ” (Gollerkeri,
2022). Even though the idea of AI was born in the 1950s, it took time to develop the
computing power to support it. It was early on that the term “artificial intelligence” was
coined by John McCarthy of MIT (John McCarthy, 2024). In 1956 at the Dartmouth
Research of Artificial Intelligence, the program “Logic Theorist” was presented. This
was the first example of AI mimicking the thinking of a human (Anyoha, 2017). Over
the years, AI has continued to grow.
Much of the early academic writing focused on AI was authored by Dr. Roger
Schank. Schank was one of the earliest developers of AI and held many ideas on how to
program the early systems. Schank discusses the exact nature of AI in his article, “What
is AI, Anyway?” He argues that AI can be viewed in many ways, but the two main goals
in developing artificial intelligence are to build an intelligent machine and to find out
about the nature of intelligence itself (Schank, 1987). In a later paper by Schank, he
defines intelligence as “getting better over time … real AI means a machine that learns”
(Schank, 1991). While the second goal Schank discusses is much more philosophical, it
appears that his first goal has been achieved. Now, the question for academia is no lon­
ger how to define AI but how to use it ethically and appropriately.
It is also worth noting that even though AI has become a hot topic in recent years
due to its wide accessibility, it has been around for some time. Various video games
have employed AI since the 1970s. AI is also used every day in apps like Siri and
Cortana. However, much of the controversy surrounding AI can be found in schools
and universities where it can easily be misused.

AI and academia
Much of the academic controversy surrounding AI focuses on academic integrity. Many
universities are creating policies and best practices concerning AI in the classroom. Part
of these practices include developing guidelines on how to best utilize AI in course
assignments as well as defining when it would be inappropriate. With academic integ­
rity being one of the foundations of universities, these policies can assist faculty and
students alike to ethically utilize AI resources while avoiding some of the challenges the
technology faces. Many professors have been wary of students using the tool to com­
plete assignments, fearing that students are relying on the technology instead of devel­
oping their own skills. However, other professors have taken advantage of the tool to
use in their teaching and lesson planning, demonstrating to students both AI’s advan­
tages and its limitations. The challenges and opportunities AI brings requires faculty to
reconsider their pedagogy. How AI is used in the classroom or for class assignments
can vary widely. While many AI technologies have text applications, they are not lim­
ited to that role. ChatGPT, for example, has a variety of different applications including
coding, multilingual support via translations, grammar and writing check, along with a
several other applications (Dilmegani, 2023). In these areas, AI can be a useful tool to
both students and faculty, when used ethically. AI can assist students with their initial
stages of composition, helping narrow their focus. Though it is important for students
152 D. MARSHALL AND J. DUBOSE

to learn that AI is still imperfect. AI can assist students in comprehension as well, con­
densing lengthy or complicated texts into more manageable summaries or abstracts.
While this does not replace the original texts, it allows students struggling with certain
topics to more easily grasp complex concepts.
Many challenges of AI in academia can best be described in an article by William
Dupps in which he focuses on some of the issues that have arisen from the use of
ChatGPT. The three main challenges Dupps focuses on are plagiarism, authorship, and
quality (Dupps, 2023). It is understood that academic work must be free from plagiar­
ism, thus, how should authorship be credited when using AI? How can one properly
cite AI? Is the quality of writing by AI on par with other academic literature? When
tested by one data scientist, ChatGPT would not disclose when it could not find an
answer but would instead create one (Bowman, 2022). The created answer was so con­
vincing that only after thorough research did the data scientist discover that the AI had
created all the information. “ChatGPT produced an answer so specific and plausible
sounding, backed with citations” that it was easily believable (Bowman, 2022). The qual­
ity of writing produced by AI may be sufficient, but the substance of the work may be
lacking. It is here librarians can step in and assist. Librarians have always guided stu­
dents on how to find, utilize, and cite resources. We must do the same for AI technolo­
gies, especially how to do so ethically.

AI in academic libraries
As numerous articles have been written surrounding the ethical use of AI in academia,
librarians can stand at the forefront of this issue, supporting both faculty and students.
Librarians, while already offering workshops on locating resources and properly citing
them, can incorporate AI into library instruction. Not only can librarians teach students
to use AI ethically, but also how to take advantage of the tool. Workshops developed
on using AI during the beginning stages of research could include information on how
to use AI to help brainstorm ideas. AI can create outlines to guide students in the writ­
ing process. When students hit roadblocks in their research, AI can help students find
direction. AI can help formulate search queries to help narrow results when searching
library databases.
Library workshops could also cover how students can create presentations using AI.
By inputting the relevant information, AI can create visuals and graphics illustrating
particular projects. In one technical writing course, the authors observed AI used to cre­
ate class presentations. The professor asked the students to critique the AI’s final prod­
uct and determine what could be used in their own projects and what should be
thrown out. By getting ahead of the game, professors can create assignments using AI
before students potentially misuse the technology. Library workshops could be devel­
oped on how to use AI in creating these presentations all while properly attributing
what has been used.
While there is a definite calling for librarians to teach students about the ethical use
of AI, there are also a multitude of opportunities for AI use in libraries outside of
teaching. Some are commonplace and logical while others may be more controversial.
Chatbots, for example, are a useful tool that can utilize AI to free up library staff by
 PUBLIC SERVICES QUARTERLY 153

handling the more mundane questions. “One of the selling points for these bots is their
ability to handle common directional and predictable questions” (Allison, 2011). This is
also a useful tool when remote work and study have become more prevalent. Online
resources have become vital for uninterrupted learning, so these chatbots can be a use­
ful tool for assisting students outside the normal operating hours of the library.
Another way AI can assist both students and librarians is through accessibility. AI
can generate information in different formats assisting library users with disabilities. For
example, there are several Text-to-Speech applications that convert written text into
spoken words. This technology is especially useful for visually impaired users. Also, for
non-native speakers, AI can be used as a translation service to help with understanding.
One such AI service is Google Translate. By using such AI, patrons have more access to
materials that would have previously been out of reach.
For “back-end” library services, collection development is an area where AI can be
used to develop book lists for recommended reading or book selection (Ali et al., 2021).
A simple query in ChatGPT can produce a multitude of book lists with annotations in
seconds. Librarians can spend hours compiling book lists for particular subject areas.
With this tool, half of the work is already completed. Now the librarian can simply ver­
ify the results and check the local catalog for availability. If materials are not available,
the materials can be listed for purchase. AI can provide information about materials
that researchers and librarians may not have been previously aware.
For cataloging and MARC creation, there has been a great deal of debate concerning
the use of AI. While some areas of cataloging could benefit from AI, there is much con­
troversy around the use and accuracy of AI. Until more concrete solutions surrounding
this controversy are discussed, this area of librarianship may be one of the last to
embrace AI.
While many positive aspects of AI have been named here, there are some downfalls
to it as well. A good review of AI in libraries can be found in “Artificial Intelligence
Utilization in Libraries” (G€ ursen et al., 2023). “Due to the significant infrastructure,
financial, and training investments needed to use artificial intelligence in libraries, it
can be said that the big respected academic libraries have begun to adopt the tech­
nology” (G€ ursen et al, 2023). Many smaller academic libraries that may suffer from
limited budgets, then, cannot fully embrace the implementation of such services. This
increases the technological gap between big institutions and smaller ones. There are
several free AI services that smaller libraries can rely on, but this may not always be
the case.
Another such pitfall is the accuracy of AI and ensuring that the information pro­
vided by AI is legitimate. There have been numerous instances of students asking for
help in locating resources the AI has recommended only to find they do not exist. A
warning that AI produces inaccurate or biased information is also widely known. The
untrained user may be influenced by these inaccuracies and lead down the wrong
path in their research. However, this pitfall also provides an opportunity for librarian
instruction. For years, librarians have encouraged researchers to check their sources,
making sure sites and articles are legitimate. While it is easy to take AI at face value,
it is important to add it to this list and encourage researchers to double-check their
information.
154 D. MARSHALL AND J. DUBOSE

Conclusion
While AI has been around for many years, it has only recently been available for aca­
demic use. Despite this short time frame, the use and misuse of it in academia is well
documented. While some are eager to embrace this technology, others have seen the
problems and are very hesitant. Libraries can be at the forefront of not only putting the
fears of AI to rest but also educating users on how to properly take advantage of this
technology. Librarians can embrace these tools and use them for instruction, learning
enhancement, as well as the back services that most patrons never see. By embracing
such technologies, libraries once again take steps toward remaining relevant with the
newest technologies and offering the best services possible to patrons and students.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors
Derek Marshall, MLIS, is the Director for Branch Libraries at Mississippi State University. His
research interests include specialized libraries, collection development and maintenance, scholarly
communications, and diversity in library collections.
Joy DuBose, MLIS, is an Associate Professor and the Extended Reality and Gaming Librarian at
Mississippi State University. Her research interests include video games in academic research
aspects, virtual reality and emerging technologies in libraries, and emerging technology and
digital trends in Library Science.

ORCID
Derek Marshall http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-8008
Joy DuBose http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9774-9514

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