Lina2d ago

Boost plz!

Looking for critical scholarship on the use of "AI" by library/archive workers. University libraries in particular, but adjacent and tangentially-relevant-at-best stuff is welcome too. Any format is fine: books, papers, blogposts, whatever. If it's good, gimme all you've got!

Looks like we're gonna have a department-wide conversation about people using LLMs, and it's being framed as "we're all using it, but we're not talking about it, so let's make sure we're all on the same page about using it responsibly" ... I'll of course be pushing the "there's basically no way to use it responsibly" position, and I'd like to arm myself and others with some critical analyses of issues related to its use in library/archive spaces.

#llm #LLMs #ai #libraries #archives

Show threadnb1d ago
@lina
Fellow library worker and LIS masters student from Germany here 👋 My colleague @SemAntiKast and I are involved with the Critical (gen)AI in Libraries discourse for about two years now, doing various formats (essays, lectures, even a satire project @kibliothek_bad_turing) to raise awareness on its socio-ecological costs. We are particularly focusing on the "hidden" costs of genAI like exploitation of data workers, enormous consumption of resources, and digital colonialism as they are rarely addressed when talking about using AI in libraries.

For my part, I recently dug rabbit hole-like into research on ethical AI frameworks that can be applied in case library workers or their supervisors aim to adopt (gen)AI tools within their library. So basically a similar situation to that you are describing here.

On the reflection level I'm also a strong advocate to always start with the fundamental question, like you also touched up on: "Does AI have to be used in the first place?", basically making a informed decision, and seriously considering _not_ using AI as an option. I currently singled out two ethical AI frameworks as recommendations for my fellow library colleagues that do support that notion:

a) IFLA Entry Point to Libraries and AI (2025): https://repository.ifla.org/handle/20.500.14598/4034

IMHO it is the most suitable ethical AI framework we have in the library sector as of now because with the "14 Questions librarians should ask about AI" (see p. 5-6) it allows both library workers and supervisors to reflect on the hidden costs of (gen)AI usage mentioned above. It is basically a set of questions you and your team can gather to and play through on the question if AI should be adopted for a certain use. It also includes a few case scenarios as an example, including the one on using genAI "responsibly" you are about to discuss within your departement. Sidenote: I also looked into the other IFLA AI guidelines, and the ones from ACRL and ARL but they are full of hype relativism and/or omit the issues I raised here which to my mind renders them useless in terms of ethical considerations.

b) Democratic AI (2024-) by @D64eV: https://demokratische-ki.de/en/

This is an ethical framework from outside the library realm I would even call more "mature" because it consists of a whole set of guidelines (incl. e.g. a curated collection of AI ethics frameworks, a vulnerability-risk matrix for vulnerable audience groups, and a code of xonduct that can be signed by organizations). It is a joint-collaboration of initially 50 (now 100+) German NGOs and other organizations towards the common good. Unfortunatly only the code of conduct is translated to English, the whitepapers (there are currently 3 of them) are still only available in German. It's also a bit eurocentric and I would even spend more time explaining it. If you want to slam your (AI) translator on it, here's the German presentation of mine where I cover them (on slide 9): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18622743

Some additional resources that might be helpful and haven't been mentioned here so far:

One of the few academic publications in terms of Critical (gen)AI in Libraries from a LIS professional:

Slater, K. (2025). Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library. Library Trends 73(4), 588-608. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lib.2025.a968497.

The English version of my colleagues presentation which is aimed at generally introducing library workers into all the major issues (obvious and non-obvious) with genAI + their take on alternative approaches:

Kasprzik, A. (2025). Hypertrophic AI – can libraries lead the pushback?. Focus on Open Science Chapter XLVII, Budapest. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17544493

A blog post on talking more about how we talk about "AI", because we can only argue on certain use cases for AI if we state what we actually mean by "AI":

DuCharme, B. (2026). The best way to talk about AI: don't say 'AI' so much; say what you really mean. Be more specific to help reduce the hype. https://www.bobdc.com/blog/stopsayingai/

Hope that helps, and yes, I do love human-made walls of text and I'm proud of every mistake it contains 😁

#LLM #LLMs #genAI #noAI #libraries #archives
IFLA AI Entry Point for Libraries and AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to support libraries’ core values, such as equitable access to information and knowledge creation. Yet, it is also a controversial technology, with current developments raising ethical and societal concerns. Libraries have a key role to play in promoting responsible, inclusive, and sustainable uses of AI. Their values—freedom of expression, privacy, openness, and accountability—provide an ethical lens for engaging with AI tools and practices. This document defines AI broadly and offers a practical set of reflective questions to help library professionals assess opportunities and risks. It is not intended as a definitive guide or decision-making tool, but rather a prompt for informed discussion and collaborative decision-making across the profession. The document aligns with IFLA’s broader policy framework and anticipates future updates in response to evolving technologies. It is part of a series of thematic publications (2025–2026) following IFLA’s revised Internet Manifesto (2024).

Show threadD64

@nb @lina

This is an amazing overview, thank you very much for interacting so thoughtfully with our positions. The point about a lack of translation for the white papers is correct, would you be willing to help us with such a translation? Send us a DM or a quick line at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you! (JL)

5:18pmWeb