AI awareness for library professionals

The advent of ChatGPT and other related AI technologies has seen exponential growth in the demand for AI literacy.  

In response, UQ Library has developed a number of initiatives to help our 200+ staff stay informed about emerging technologies, adapt to client needs, create efficiencies, and to help support their learning.  These include the establishment of a Generative AI Steering Committee, a Generative AI Working Group, and projects such as Intelligent Assistant and UQ eSpace experimentation.  Additionally, the co-creation of a Learning & Development Framework is helping to develop staff capabilities to work with GenAI technology.  Alongside these initiatives, a client-facing Library Chatbot which operates 24/7 was also introduced in July 2024.

A number of approaches have been taken to determine where reskilling is required in domains where AI could augment our capabilities.  These include a Library Technology survey (Jisc), a pilot of a skills gap analysis using a survey structured around the Australian Library and Information Association’s Professional Pathways Framework and the creation of a Generative AI Library Guide for staff, which takes into account the different ways that different roles will interact with and support AI in the workplace.

In this presentation we will outline the approach we have taken to upskill our staff in their collective learning journeys.