Want to Learn AI? Ask it!
Public librarians have always been the community’s tech guides — teaching everything from double-clicking an icon to sending email to navigating Excel. Each time, we had to learn first. Now, the next tool we must learn is artificial intelligence.
AI is already part of daily life: in chatbots that process returns, smart assistants like Siri and Alexa, even cars that warn us when we drift from our lane. But the rise of large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and Meta’s Llama has transformed the landscape.
Seemingly overnight, technology began performing tasks once thought to be exclusively human, shattering our sense of what’s possible. Some patrons will be excited, others apprehensive, but all will bring questions to the library. Demand for AI tutorials will rise quickly as people navigate job loss, parenting, education, and upskilling. It is our duty as knowledge professionals to step forward as trusted guides. AI is more than just a tool. It’s a paradigm shift. And this shift is not just any wave; it’s a tsunami.
Most librarians have little to no training in AI. AI experts who teach practical, no-code applications are few and far between. They are expensive for a library to bring in as a speaker, and when their time at your library is over, so is your ability to ask follow-up questions. Those who are interested in taking a formal AI course can pay upwards of $2,800. With so much content available to consume, there is little direction and clarity regarding what to read, watch, or listen to that will provide the highest benefit for the lowest investment.
What if, instead of waiting for an expert or a conference, wasting hours reading irrelevant information, or spending thousands of dollars on a course, you could curate your own personalized AI course materials in seconds? Well, you can! AI can create a tailored syllabus just for you.
How to Create Your Personalized AI Syllabus
First, go online to an LLM such as the ones mentioned above. Next, once on the website, type in your prompt. A prompt is not a string of keywords. A strong prompt works just like asking someone a question. Usually, the more specific the prompt you ask, the more tailored your answer will be.
Ask for a plan. Tell the LLM something about your role at work and what information would be most useful. When I used an LLM to create my personalized AI course, I said that I was looking for articles, podcasts, and books that would help me understand the current state of AI. I also said that I didn’t need information on Alan Turing or other early foundational figures in computing. I was more interested in the present-day than in the history of AI.
My prompt: I am a public librarian, and I’m learning about AI. I’m new to coding, and since I’m interested in creating AI programs for library users, I need to get up to speed on the state of the field. Could you please make me a four-week syllabus with articles, books, and podcasts that could help me? I don’t think I need to go all the way back to Alan Turing or the founding figures of AI. I am most curious about present-day.
Results: When I entered that prompt, I received a highly tailored syllabus which even organized the weeks into themes.
- Week 1: AI Fundamentals and Generative AI
- Week 2: Effective Prompting and Practical Library Applications
- Week 3: Ethical Concerns, Bias, and Responsible Use
- Week 4: AI Literacy and Future Trends in Library Services
Each week included a few articles, podcast episodes, and a book to match the theme.
Here are some ways that you can make your prompt even more focused on your specific needs.
Business Librarian: “I’m a business librarian who works in a public library. Can you please create a four-week syllabus for me to learn AI? I’m not looking for information on coding. I would like to create programs for library users to teach them how to improve their job search with AI.”
Adult Services Librarian: “I am an adult services librarian in a public library, and I am new to AI. I want to create a program on how to use LLMs, but I don’t know where to start. Can you please craft a 4-week syllabus to get me up to speed? I am looking for articles, books, and podcasts to give me an idea about the current state of the field.”
Youth Services Librarian: “I am a youth librarian in a public library. Parents are asking me about how their kids should use AI. I am new to generative AI. Can you create a four-week syllabus for me to learn about AI in education and child development?
If you want to learn it as if you were a patron, skip the preface about your role and simply ask for an “AI 101 course.”
Office Hours
As you go through your personalized “coursework,” your LLM can act as your professor. As you go through your syllabus, you may find that you are unable to procure one of the items. You can go back to your chosen LLM and use this prompt, “I can’t find ______. Can you help me find something similar, something that I might find in a public library?” It will provide you with alternatives.
In addition, while you take notes on your materials, it may spark new questions.
You can ask, “What are some key vocab words I should be aware of in generative AI?”
You can even write in the LLM, “I read [specific book] you recommended. I learned [key takeaway]. Is there anything else I should think about or takeaway from this work?”
You can also ask questions, “I was confused when [author] said _____. Can you tell me more about what this means?”
Unlike college courses, LLM office hours are 24/7.
Start Exploring
As librarians, we’ve always learned by doing, often just a step ahead of those we serve. AI is no different. By experimenting, asking questions, and curating our own learning journeys, we can model the very curiosity and adaptability that libraries stand for. Start today: Open a window, type your first question, and see what AI has to teach you.
Good luck in your AI class!
Tags: ai, AIinpubliclibraries
