INSIGHT ‘‘ I


Arming ourselves with knowledge and understanding of AI, to the level we need it, is a challenge for everyone.


Sue Lacey Bryant is CILIP President.


“What’s on trend in library tech?” you might well ask.


N a recent international survey, library leaders noted the role of libraries as important portals to


technology and training. In terms of using tech to enhance the library experience, their predictions for the next five years seem a tad tame: 51.4 per cent focused in on mobile apps, 35.5 per cent on bringing in Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, 28.1 per cent on introducing a Chatbot and 27.9 per cent on using AI. 21.2 per cent are not planning to invest in new technologies at all.1 Respondents recognised the impact of advanced technology in education: “Artificial Intelligence assisted learning and assessment is widely deployed now.” Leaders emphasised the importance of information literacy and critical thinking, privacy and confidentiality. They also flagged opportunities to improve accessibility.1


Their primary budget priority was investment in digital content licenses and tools to enable remote access to content (28 per cent), with e-subscriptions outpacing expenditure on print materials in libraries.1


CILIP members will be only


too familiar with the financial strain on digital collections.


The hottest of topics


AI is currently the hottest of hot topics. No doubt library managers are managing executives keen to roll out AI scribing tools to reduce administrative costs at the same time as being barraged by library vendors touting AI-enhanced services (offering varying levels of explainability). Tanzi writes of the challenges of ‘navigating a more treacherous information environment’ and the imperative for information professionals to be vigilant in our mission of curating accurate information.2


This echoes troubling


reports on the emergence of AI-generated anomalies within published articles in scholarly journals; with insufficient editorial oversight seen as a key issue.3


“In the year 2025, to be computer literate, Rewired 2025 one must be AI literate”.3 Arming ourselves


with knowledge and understanding of AI, to the level we need it, is a challenge for everyone. Data literacy, AI and algorithmic literacy are built into CILIP’s Professional Knowledge and Skills Base, making this a helpful tool to self-assess our knowledge and gauge where we would be wise to prioritise areas for development based on personal and organisational needs.4


The


AI and Data Revolution, newly published by Facet 2025 (see page, discusses how organisations can adapt to the emerging AI and data landscape.5


CILIP UKeiG’s


upcoming CPD courses on AI sound like a winner.6


Kranzberg’s six laws


Which technological horse to back is a perennial challenge. Back in the 1980s I threw away more Betamax video cassettes than I could count. I’ve often reflected on this as a lesson learned, and that’s a sentiment of which Melvin Kranzberg would have approved.


Kranzberg’s six laws of technology remain insightful.7


Take the fifth law: “All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant”. Sony’s Betamax definitely offered superior picture quality, but JVC’s VHS attended to the whole consumer experience – offering a bigger range of hardware, cheaper tapes that were more easily available, and a lot more films to rent. The Betamax story also illustrates the fourth and sixth laws – “nontechnical factors take precedence in technology-policy decisions” and “Technology is a very human activity”.8


Critical AI Literacy


Kranzberg’s first law states “Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral”.7 Library and information professionals in many different settings have a crucial role to play as information literacy, internet safety and AI literacy converge. With so many services stepping in to equip people with AI literacy, sharing, borrowing and adapting resources with pride must surely be the norm for CILIP members? I look to other educators too, e.g. Mike Kentz recently gave a compelling speech. I love


his build on asking ChatGPT to find the best pizza place; a great illustration of the value of human knowledge.9


Making our expertise visible Lastly, are we missing a trick? Surely the agility with which information professionals dance the fancy technical footwork required to assemble the complex web of interconnected technical solutions needed to deliver knowledge and resources needs to be brought into the spotlight? How far do we as library and information professionals stamp the role of our expertise, and brand the work of our teams, at each stage and screen of knowledge flows? Are we painting ourselves into a corner, invisible to funders and colleagues as we lead and progress complex procurement and drive the implementation of library and knowledge management platforms, discovery systems? Can our users see the place of our work as they benefit from collections, document delivery, inter-lending systems, referencing software et al?


Is 2025 the year to bring fresh eyes to how others see and experience our work, and the interfaces we design? Can our technological mastery be seen, and its beneficial impacts be rightly attributed? IP


References


1. What industry leaders predict about the future of libraries, Pressreader, Oct 2024. https://letstalk.pressreader.com/future-of-libraries-report/


2. Nick Tanzi. Library Tech Trends for 2025. LinkedIn January 16 2025. www.linkedin.com/posts/nicktanzi_ai-libraries- activity-7285676682311553024-ics3/


3. Bashar Haruna Gulumbe. Obvious artificial intelligence- generated anomalies in published journal articles: A call for enhanced editorial diligence. Learned Publishing, 6 Sept 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1626


4. See www.cilip.org.uk/page/PKSB


5. Martin De Saulles. The AI and Data Revolution Understanding the New Data Landscape. Facet, 2025. www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/detail/the-ai-and-data- revolution/?k=9781783307081


6. For example see www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails. aspx?id=1966196&group=201314


7. Melvin Kranzberg. Technology and History: “Kranzberg’s Laws”. Technology and Culture Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul., 1986), pp. 544-560


8. MAA1. Kranzberg’s Six Laws of Technology. Feb 24, 2023. https://maa1.medium.com/kranzbergs-six-laws-of-technology- faff3931b623


9. Mike Kentz. Critical AI Literacy: What it is and why do we need it? March 19, 2025. https://mikekentz.substack.com/p/ critical-ai-literacy-what-is-it-and.


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 13


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