LTI’s Back-to-School Toolkit for Librarians

What if work could feel remoralizing?

Posted on August 19, 2026 in Blog Posts

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LibTech Insights editor
A librarian getting ready to go back to school by grading a paper

This past month has seen some of the bleakest coverage of higher ed in years: horrific stories of plagiarism, declining literacy rates, and the ever-present threat of AI. “Higher ed in crisis” is a popular media narrative, sure to garner clicks, but this year, it has felt especially difficult to watch the calendar year move closer to the start of the school year and feel an innocent sense of excitement. But there are plenty of reasons not to feel demoralized, and plenty of work that makes a difference to students, researchers, and universities, and feels good to undertake. 

So, before the semester begins, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our posts that rekindle the joys of librarianship.

Building a Better Library Tech Future with Slow Librarianship

Librarianship and burnout, unfortunately, often go hand in hand, and excitement over a new school year can quickly curdle into feeling overwhelmed. Meredith Farkas’s work on slow librarianship remains a touchstone for preserving one’s well-being while taking on the work of librarianship. Particularly for those stressed about AI, this piece offers a productive approach for engaging with tech without losing focus on the core values of librarianship.

Librarians drinking coffee at a generative AI community of practice

Starting a GenAI Community of Practice

What feels overwhelming alone can feel invigorating with other people. This guide to creating an AI community of practice can both deepen your knowledge of AI and deepen your connection to your colleagues. Communities of practice don’t have to be limited to AI. You might consider starting a group centered on user experience, for instance, or accessibility. What’s important is that you feel supported and connected in your work.

Using Online Concept Maps to Increase Student Collaboration

Nothing quite heals the soul like teaching a class where students are actively engaged. It can be harder to get this feeling when teaching online or asynchronously, but not impossible. Concept maps work for both online and offline teaching, invigorate class discussions, and promote critical thinking. This post outlines digital tools for creating concept maps for class use.

Now live: A Pedagogical Road Map for Teaching AI Literacy

The second 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 cover pedagogical frameworks for AI, ready-to-go library activities for engaging learners, and many resources for further learning and discussion. Register now to access the first two modules of the course.

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A librarian using AI to create alt text for digital collections images

Creating Alt Text for Digital Collections with AI: A Case Study

Undertaking a good project can be an excellent way to boost morale and make a difference. This case study discusses how one library used AI to increase the accessibility of its digital collections. As the authors note, this approach had its limitations, but the project had immediate benefits by making vast amounts of data available to new audiences.

Why Privacy Literacy Is Crucial to Student Success

Between data centers and Flock cameras, there has been a lot of public interest in privacy and surveillance this summer. Capitalizing on these big societal questions is one way to engage students in issues they care about while also promoting the core values of librarianship. This piece makes a strong case for teaching students about online privacy and offers advice for getting started.

A librarian weeding through the books in her collection

The Optimized Library: Weeding

One way to rekindle interest in routine tasks is to take a new approach. Sam Suber’s video series, “The Optimized Library,” shows how librarians can use Microsoft Excel’s Solver tool to create optimal and equitable solutions to common library problems using data. This video on collection weeding offers a great example of this method in action.

Librarians participating in an edit-a-thon

How to Run an Edit-a-thon for Your Library’s Staff

Nothing feels more demoralizing than taking on a large, tedious task alone. But librarianship can be a team sport, and this piece shows how an overwhelming task, such as editing a library website or remediating PDFs, can become a fun, productive event with just a little planning. Remember: it’s fine to ask for help, but it’s always better if you provide baked goods as an enticement.

A librarian asking questions to a vendor about AI tools

5 Questions to Ask Your Vendors about AI

It can feel like companies are foisting AI on us without listening to our concerns—a frustrating and demoralizing experience if there were any. It can feel empowering, then, to ask the right questions and make your concerns heard when dealing with vendors. This guide provides a starting point for these conversations, outlining five questions that librarians should ask of vendors. These discussions can make a difference not only to your institution but also to the profession’s relationships with its vendors.

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