Guardrails for librarians

When you finish, you can protect patron privacy and guide your community in using AI wisely.

Patron privacy comes first

Librarians have a long tradition of protecting what people read and ask. Never enter patron names, library card numbers, borrowing histories, reference questions that identify a person, or any personal data into a consumer AI tool unless your library or institution has approved that tool for that purpose.

Privacy and data-protection laws apply in many places, such as the GDPR in Europe and various national, state and school-related laws. For children and students, additional rules may apply. Follow your library's policy and professional ethics codes. If your library is considering an AI product, ask what data it collects, how long it keeps it and who can see it.

Accuracy, bias and invented sources

Chatbots can state wrong facts in a confident voice and invent books, articles and quotes. They can also reflect biases, leave out voices and perform worse in some languages. When staff use AI for reference help, every claim and source is checked against reliable resources before sharing.

Teach patrons the same habit. A simple routine is: look for sources, confirm that each exists, compare with a trusted reference, and ask a librarian. Sharing this routine is one of the most useful services a library can offer.

Intellectual freedom, copyright and fairness

AI can be used to filter, summarize or recommend in ways that narrow what people see. Be cautious about tools that make decisions about what patrons can access. Libraries defend open access to information, so ask who controls the tool and what it hides.

Copyright questions around AI are changing and differ by country. Do not paste licensed content into tools in ways that break your agreements. Check license terms for databases and e-resources, and ask your institution's legal or licensing contact.

Disclosure and saying no

Tell patrons honestly when AI helps produce materials, and be clear about its limits. Follow your library's policy on AI-generated images and text in displays and communications.

Say no when asked to put patron data into an unapproved tool, to use AI to profile readers or to present AI output as a verified reference. A short line works: “I can use it to start a draft, then I check everything and protect patron privacy.”

Practice now

List the patron data your library holds and mark which should never go into an unapproved tool.
Write a short statement your library could post about how staff use AI.

Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.

Check yourself

1. A volunteer pastes a patron's borrowing history into a chatbot to recommend books. What is the main problem?

2. What is a simple routine to teach patrons?

3. Why ask who controls an AI tool used for filtering or recommending?

Ask the AI tutor

Ask anything about this lesson, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.

Next lesson: Grow with AI: your 30-day plan

AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.