Presented by Harley Rogers (University of Mississippi) (Pronouns: she/her/hers) and Brooke Gross (University of Mississippi) (Pronouns: she/her/hers)
The unprecedented development of artificial intelligence leaves a gap of understanding in its wake. As information professionals, librarians have the unique skillset to teach emerging literacies, but may find themselves left out of campus initiatives. Whether their expertise are not considered relevant or they have simply been forgotten, librarians must figure out how to embed themselves in AI discussions now in order to expand information literacy.
The University of Mississippi’s Department of Writing and Rhetoric took charge of the AI movement on campus, encouraging their students to use AI-assisted and AI-generated tools for select assignments. In place of traditional research and writing, students could use different programs to synthesize articles, generate keywords, make outlines, and write papers. While the department held meetings to plan curriculum changes, as well as workshops and discussions addressing panic over AI tools, the library was never consulted. This presentation will focus on librarians’ experiences throughout the AI implementation process at UM, with emphasis on why they were initially left out of these conversations and how they have gotten involved since.
Though the appropriateness of AI inclusion in the classroom is still up for debate, students are being introduced to AI tools across multiple environments, which means institutions will need updated policies to stay on top of the technology. Therefore, it is essential to develop artificial intelligence literacy resources for both teachers and students, and librarians are best suited to this task.
Librarians will discuss artificial intelligence adoption at the University of Mississippi and how they are working to position themselves as AI literacy experts. They will also outline ways that other libraries can become active consultants in the creation of AI policies and resources.
