RLUK24 | Librarians as prompt engineers and emerging skillsets for library users

RLUK24 Conference
https://www.rluk.ac.uk/
https://rlukconference.com/

Roundtable: Librarians as prompt engineers and emerging skillsets for library users

Librarians are trained in information retrieval, and this is a valued part of our skillset. However, generative AI tools based on LLMs rely less on keywords, Boolean operators, and proximity searching. Library users meanwhile, must address their information needs through optimal prompting to avoid poor quality or irrelevant outputs. Librarians can reassert our reputation for expert information retrieval by skilling up as prompt engineers and sharing this knowledge with users through training. Library users should also take an informed and critical approach to AI tools, evaluating generative AI outputs and understanding ethical implications such as academic integrity, copyright, and authorship.

This roundtable draws on some early experiences from University of Essex Library & Cultural Services in which we explore uses for AI tools in library workflows and processes and the related skill and development needs.