Four Quick Charts on AI Instruction in Academic Libraries

What our micro-course participants had to say about AI literacy instruction

Posted on September 16, 2026 in Blog Posts

With the start of the semester, teaching is on everyone’s mind. Throughout LTI‘s storied history, we have examined AI literacy instruction, both theory and best practices, but this week, we wanted to focus on the data.

As a part of our free AI literacy micro-course we launched this summer with Clarivate, we asked participants to answer a series of questions about AI literacy instruction. This survey was a part of the second module, “Pedagogical Road Map for Teaching AI Literacy.” The full module also includes an essay on AI literacy instruction, a toolbox with ready-to-go classroom activities and assignments, and a series of excellent readings on the topic. But for this post, we wanted to take some of the survey results and discuss the surprises (and unsurprises) we found.

A few caveats before we get started. Survey respondents were anonymous, so we have only the raw data. What this means is that some respondents might not be academic librarians, though most likely are, and some respondents might be from the same institution, leading to duplicate data points. So, while we admit that the findings aren’t altogether rigorous, we maintain that they are still an interesting glimpse into the state of AI in academic libraries.

🔥 Register for AI Essentials for Academic Libraries: Beyond the Basics

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Our first survey question, asking respondents which instructional modes they use to teach AI literacy, yielded a clear winner: one-shot library sessions. This result is unsurprising: one-shot information literacy sessions have largely absorbed AI literacy, and certainly, many librarians see one as the natural extension of the other. But perhaps we need to center this finding within our formulations of AI literacy. We can and should develop a robust understanding of the concept, and yet we also need to reckon with the practical dimension by asking what it’s feasible for librarians to convey about AI literacy within an hour-long one-shot session or workshop. We raised this critical debate about information literacy back in 2024, and it remains salient.

Many respondents also reported using research guides and LibGuides to teach AI literacy. I’m sure many librarians are already doing this, but we should think about classroom instruction and LibGuides synergistically. What are the distinct advantages of one format versus the other, and how can we best use both to support each other?

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Now live: How AI Is Creating Library Workflow Efficiencies

The final installment of Choice and Clarivate’s free, three-part micro-course, “AI Essentials for Academic Libraries: Beyond the Basics,” is now live! In this module, written by and for librarians, we explore practical examples of how AI tools can streamline workflows, identify tasks that AI can automate, and discuss ethical guardrails. Register now to access the course.

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In higher education, we often focus on student use of generative AI. This is understandable: if generative AI takes away from student learning, then the value proposition of both higher education and AI comes into question. But often undiscussed is instructors’ use of AI. In this question, we asked whether respondents had used generative AI tools to create or adapt instructional materials, such as handouts, presentations, scenarios, and assessments. We were surprised by the results: 57 percent said they used AI frequently or occasionally, and another 22 percent were interested in doing so.

Many instructors report feeling guilty or conflicted about using AI themselves, but our survey suggests that it’s quite common. In the same way that we ask students to consider the value and ethics of specific AI use cases, instructors should do likewise. AI might be quite useful for making an assignment more accessible, for instance, by turning awful PDF scans into screen-reader-friendly text or making a rubric more legible to students. I respect the 20 percent of respondents who have no interest in using AI in the classroom, but the other 80 percent should feel more comfortable having these conversations about appropriate use.

We gave respondents a Likert scale to self-assess their confidence in teaching AI literacy. The results hew closely to a normal distribution, with most respondents falling into the center of the bell curve. This finding goes hand in glove with the next chart on professional development opportunities, but I want to linger with it for a moment.

My hunch is that many people are feeling AI burnout or fatigue thanks to an onslaught of discourse, hype, doom, and uncertainty. On a basic level, it’s hard to know where the industry even stands: would a slowdown of the industry promote ethical technological development, or is it a ploy to consolidate the market? These conversations, which tickle the commentariat, can quickly become tedious, anxiety-inducing, or overwhelming. I know I can only take so much.

It’s important that we acknowledge these feelings: for all the discussion of AI, librarians don’t necessarily feel more confident teaching about it. We need to be intentional about the conversations we want to have as a profession to promote confidence and competence without losing the plot. Perhaps this is an area where rigorous AI literacy frameworks can help ground us.

I debated about including this graph. With all responses being roughly equal, it’s hard to identify any single gap that universities and library leaders should direct resources toward to help librarians improve their AI instruction. But perhaps the lack of salience is the important point: librarians see a need for professional development on AI, no matter what specific form it takes. It could be more time for self-study, collaborative learning opportunities, or top-down guidance—what’s important is that this professional development is happening.

At Choice, we’re doing our best to fill this gap, and we hope our learners have enjoyed our AI literacy micro-courses. If you haven’t yet joined, we encourage you to sign up for it (it’s free and fun!). The third and final module, on creating library workflow efficiencies, is now up. We include a lot more resources and insights than we covered in this post, so don’t miss out!

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