Empowering Libraries and Librarians for the Future: The Critical Role of AI Literacy Education in Master of Library and Information Studies Education

This paper presents findings from a research project at the School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin (UCD), which surveyed students in UCD’s College of Social Sciences and Law in Autumn 2023 with the aim of exploring their perceptions and uses of GenAI, and their training needs in relation to it. Although the study was not focused on libraries per se, the findings point to areas where academic librarians can contribute strongly to training in GenAI use, and AI literacy development in general. Thus, we contend that academic library professionals are in a unique position to support students, faculty, and other educators as GenAI continues to proliferate. To this end, we ask the question of how we, as faculty in a professional Master’s in Library and Information Studies (LIS), can educate and support current and future LIS students in relation to GenAI literacy and AI literacy? This paper strongly argues that, as AI/GenAI tools and technologies become more embedded in higher education and student learning, AI and GenAI literacy education must also become an integral part of professional LIS education.