These expanding responsibilities raise a central question: what do we mean by “AI literacy”? Although definitions exist across multiple disciplines and there is broad agreement that AI literacy involves understanding, critically evaluating, and ethically applying AI tools, the LIS literature has not yet converged on a shared, field-specific framework that can guide instruction or practice. Instead, the landscape remains fragmented, with some approaches emphasizing technical fluency, others prioritizing ethics, and still others focusing on critical interrogation of algorithms. Without a unified framework, practitioners and educators are often left to improvise.

This lack of coordinated preparation carries real consequences. Across academic, public, and school libraries, uneven readiness risks deepening an emerging AI divide, which is a new layer added to the familiar digital divide. Those with access to AI tools as well as the skills to use them critically will be better positioned to succeed in future classrooms and workplaces; those without such access may fall behind. Librarians, whose mission has long centered on equitable access to information, now have a parallel responsibility: ensuring equitable access to understanding.

Findings from recent student observations of youth services in North Carolina echo these same challenges and opportunities. Across multiple public and school library program evaluations, AI literacy emerged as widely recognized but unevenly implemented. Many libraries currently lack formal AI initiatives due to staffing or budget limitations yet show growing awareness and curiosity about the topic. Some librarians have begun experimenting with low-cost, developmentally appropriate activities, such as volunteer-led coding sessions, introductory AI workshops, or games helping teens distinguish between human and AI-generated content. Others, particularly in underserved areas, emphasize the importance of meeting patrons where they are, balancing technological aspiration with immediate community needs. These observations mirror national trends: widespread recognition of AI’s importance and the need to teach AI literacy but uncertainty about implementation. Concerns about staff readiness, ethical understanding, tool adoption, and equitable access remain consistent across the profession.

Reimagining LIS Education

The forthcoming AI and Libraries course at the North Carolina Central University Master of Library Science program responds to these challenges by integrating emerging AI topics into library education. The course aims to prepare new librarians to navigate and teach responsibly in an AI-driven world. The course serves as one example of how LIS programs can begin addressing the shared professional challenge of building intentional spaces for AI literacy before it becomes an assumed skill. Topics of the course include the foundations of AI, ethics and policy, AI literacy frameworks, prompt design, instructional applications, and equity and access. By emphasizing both conceptual understanding and practical application, the course encourages students to design teachable modules for library users, simulate AI-assisted reference scenarios, and critically analyze institutional AI policies.

Importantly, this course is only a transitional step toward a broader curricular change already underway. As previous generations of LIS educators incorporated new technologies into their teaching, we expect that artificial intelligence will soon be discussed and applied in some form across all courses in the curriculum. Ultimately, the goal is not to isolate AI as a special topic, but to normalize it as part of the professional and ethical landscape of librarianship by training future-ready librarians who can lead their communities through rapid technological change. By launching AI and Libraries, we create an intentional space for reflection and experimentation before AI literacy becomes fully embedded in all LIS courses. This approach builds on national guidance from the American Library Association’s (ALA) AI competencies for librarians and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) digital literacy standards, both of which identify AI literacy as an emerging educational priority.

As generative AI becomes embedded in everyday life, librarians will remain information navigators while also taking on the emerging role of AI literacy mediators. Courses like AI and Libraries can help lay the groundwork by preparing information professionals to teach and model AI literacy in practice. As LIS educators and practitioners explore new approaches, ongoing dialogue about what AI literacy should look like across programs will be vital. This conversation is only beginning, and every library school has a role to play in shaping it. The librarians who will teach the public about AI are sitting in our classrooms today. What we can offer them is not every answer, but a foundational understanding of AI and the capacity to keep asking, learning, and adapting as both the tools and the questions evolve.