Librarian Responsibility in the Face of Generative AI

Authors

  • George J. Aulisio The University of Scranton

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2026.327

Keywords:

artificial intelligence, generative AI, ACRL Frameworks, PA Forward

Abstract

Generative AI represents a fundamentally different kind of technological disruption than those libraries have previously navigated. This commentary argues that librarians are uniquely positioned to be GenAI leaders: not as uncritical champions, nor as reflexive opponents, but as conscientious information professionals trained to ask hard questions about how knowledge is produced, who controls it, and what interests shape it. Drawing on the consistent pattern of society outpacing its capacity to govern new technologies, the article makes an ethical and professional case for library leadership in AI education and engagement. I also warn that inaction carries institutional risk.

References

Appel, G., Neelbauer, J., & Schweidel, D. A. (2023, April 7). Generative AI Has an Intellectual Property Problem. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/04/generative-ai-has-an-intellectual-property-problem

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2015). Appendix 2: Background of the Framework Development (pp. 15–16). https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/acrl/content/issues/infolit/Framework
_ILHE.pdf

Frank, R. (2025, August 10). AI is creating new billionaires at a record pace. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/10/ai-artificial-intelligence-billionaires-wealth.html

Kemp, A. (2026, January 25). Frequent Use of AI in the Workplace Continued to Rise in Q4. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/701195/frequent-workplace-continued-rise.aspx

Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X.-H., Beresnitzky, A. V., Braunstein, I., & Maes, P. (2025, June 10). Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task. ArXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872

Makridis, C. (2025, May 15). Play the Long Game With Human-AI Collaboration. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/660572/play-long-game-human-ai-collaboration.aspx

Marken, S. (2026, April 2). AI Is Routine for College Students, Despite Campus Limits. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/704090/routine-college-students-despite-campus-limits.aspx

Martineau, K. (2023, April 20). What is generative AI? IBM. https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-generative-AI

Pennsylvania Library Association. (2025, November 3). PA Forward - Pennsylvania Libraries. Paforward.org. https://paforward.org/

Pratt-McHugh, S. (2025, October 10). Information Literacy for Real Life: Debunking TikTok Videos with Library Resources. Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference.

Reid, E. (2024, May 14). Generative AI in Search: Let Google do the searching for you. Google. https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/

Richardson, N. (2025, August 26). Yes, AI is affecting employment. Here's the data. ADP Research. https://www.adpresearch.com/yes-ai-is-affecting-employment-heres-the-data/

Witek, D., & Grettano, T. (2012). Information literacy on Facebook: an analysis. Reference Services Review, 40(2), 242–257. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907321211228309

Witek, D., & Grettano, T. (2014). Teaching metaliteracy: a new paradigm in action. Reference Services Review, 42(2), 188–208. https://doi.org/10.1108/rsr-07-2013-0035

Zewe, A. (2025, January 17). Explained: Generative AI's environmental impact. MIT News; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117

Downloads

Published

2026-05-21

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): Pennsylvania Libraries Research & Practice

Section

Commentary

License

Copyright (c) 2026 George J. Aulisio

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/21/2020. Revision Description: Updated to APA 7th style.