CFP: Special Issue on Libraries as AI Literacy Leaders

Still in the early stages of the power of generative AI, there are many ethical issues to consider as technologies advance and adoption becomes more ubiquitous. Librarians’ deep expertise in research, information literacy, academic integrity, information policy and copyright uniquely position them to educate users about the opportunities and concerns associated with generative AI. Issues remain regarding librarians’ preparedness for such roles, the pedagogical strategies they should adopt, and the institutional role libraries should play in fostering public understanding of these technologies, especially in the context of their own communities.

This special issue invites practicing library and information professionals as well as library faculty to share their experiences, knowledge, and best practices on the topic with others in our field grappling with similar concerns, uncertainty, and excitement.

Themes and questions of interest for the special issue might include:

How can librarians or information professionals effectively educate users about both the benefits and ethical issues associated with using generative AI?
What best practices does your organization employ to prepare information professionals to educate and assist users in using generative AI?
What AI issues are being presented by users in various types of libraries and information centers?
What are the most significant AI ethical issues that library and information science professionals can lead efforts to address in their communities?
How do library and information science faculty incorporate AI literacy and ethics into their coursework for future information professionals?
How can library and information science professionals establish themselves as leaders in AI literacy in their communities?

In the special issue, we seek short texts for general audiences, accompanied by personal experiences and perspectives, potential best practices, and your ongoing research or ideas.

Author instructions

All proposals should be submitted directly to the Information Matters platform following the author instructions. Authors are also encouraged to provide illustrations to accompany texts. When submitting your article, make sure to select “SI Libraries” as a tag to be considered for this Special Issue.

Pay special attention that in this special issue we are not seeking conventional scholarly papers but short texts (500 to 1000 words) accessible to a general audience. Work that is previously published elsewhere will be considered if it is rewritten in the format applicable to Information Matters. The texts will be published in parallel through SSRN in a citable format with a DOI, volume and issue and are indexed in a series of publication databases.

Important Dates

CFP Opens for submissions: November 10, 2025
Last date for submissions: December 19, 2025
Decisions and publication through IM website: Typically, within two weeks of submission
Publication of the special issue and indexing through SSRN: January 2026

Questions

For queries about the special issue, please contact the guest editor.

Guest Editor
Brandi Porter, Valdosta State University, USA
braporter@valdosta.edu