New Voices RGU Student Series 2026 – Carlyn Thomson

Category: RGU Student Series 2026

In the 2026 New Voices Student Series, the CILIPS Students & New Professionals Community will be sharing the views of Robert Gordon University students from the MSc in Information and Library Studies.

With special thanks to Dr Konstantina Martzoukou, Teaching Excellence Fellow and Associate Professor, for organising these thought-provoking contributions.

After 12 years in nursing, Carlyn Thomson swapped hospital wards for library shelves after realising her lifelong love of books was more than just a hobby. Carlyn currently works as a Resource Assistant in Angus public libraries and is pursuing an MSc in Information and Library studies at RGU so she can grow in a career that she love. She is a mum to 3 children and in her small amount of spare time, can be found completing reading challenges and eating good food.

GenAI in Public Libraries: The libraries role in training a community

Last year I heard the words ChatGPT for the first time, since then it feels like everyone is talking about it. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is no longer a futuristic Hollywood idea; it has moved into everyday life. But what is it? In simple terms GenAI is computer technology that creates content such as writing, images or ideas. It works by learning from huge collections of information, recognising patterns and predicting what a ’good answer’ looks like.

What does that mean for a librarian? With people using platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini for everything from meal plans to recruitment shortlisting, acknowledging GenAI’s usefulness must go hand-in-hand with understanding its limitations. Public libraries are uniquely placed to help communities navigate this responsibly because librarians already teach digital literacy, information evaluation, safe internet use and research skills daily.

This blog explores three essential elements a GenAI training course should cover in a public library setting. Such training can be delivered flexibly through workshops, online tutorials or pre-recorded videos to meet the needs of a diverse user group.

1. Building basic GenAI literacy: Understanding the tool

As public libraries have long been centres for digital inclusion offering public computers, Wi-Fi, e-books and digital notices as standard, they are naturally placed to help people navigate new technologies.

A beginner friendly GenAI programme should include:

• Clear explanations: Plain language assures understanding by almost all users (Hampel, 2024).
• A supportive environment: Older adults often fear judgement when learning digital skills (Barrie et al., 2021). Training must prioritise reassurance and patience.
• Supported practice: Guided experiences reduce anxiety and encourage confidence (Fricke, 2024). Repeated attempts allow learners to fully understand how GenAI responds to prompts.
• Useful examples: Demonstrations show users how GenAI fits into everyday lives (EIFL, 2024) such as asking for meal plans or drafting emails.
• Young people and students: Demonstrating ethical homework support and brainstorming techniques can prevent plagiarism and build research confidence (Henchiri and Aamri, 2025).
• Job seekers: Teaching the creation and evaluation of AI generated CV’s or cover letters can support individuals who may lack confidence in written communication or in completing formal job applications. GenAI training can demonstrate how tools can assist with drafting, formatting and tailoring job applications to specific roles (T and Sengaliappan, 2025).
• Families: Showing creative and educational uses such as story creation or day out planning encourages shared digital learning at home (Jung et al., 2025).

2. Spotting misinformation: Developing critical awareness

Because GenAI can produce answers that sound convincingly, teaching users how to question and verify information is essential.

Training should cover:

• Recognising ‘hallucinations’: Even librarians encounter fabricated facts in GenAI responses (Del Castillo and Kelly, 2025). Teaching users to check verified sources or test consistency with multiple prompts is key.
• Verifying citations: Invented references are an emerging challenge (Bridges, McElroy and Wellhouse, 2024). The original source should be accessed and checked.
• Improving media literacy: Deepfakes – Images, videos or audio manipulated by AI are increasingly used in scams (LaPierre, 2025). Demonstrating how easily these can be created helps users’ approach GenAI with caution.
• Understanding bias: GenAI reflects the biases in the material it was trained on, which may result in harmful or inaccurate responses (Upshall, 2022). Users should be taught to evaluate whether a response is fair, inclusive and respectful.

 

3. Safe and responsible use: Upholding ethical values

Public libraries have a responsibility to promote safe online behaviour. GenAI training should give users the tools to recognise ethical, legal and privacy risks.

Key points include:

• Personal information: Anything entered into GenAI may be stored or reused by systems (EIFL, 2024). Users should be avoid entering sensitive information to reduce the risk of details being used elsewhere.
• Character ethics: Ethical use cannot rely on following rules. Considering whether a response is respectful, fair and socially responsible is essential in encouraging value-based decision making (Simons, 2025).
• Legal implications: Users should understand copyright ownership and reuse particularly around images (IFLA, 2024). Teaching users how to check for watermarks or reverse image searching on google allows them to make informed decisions.
• Community groups and small businesses: Highlighting copyright and data privacy is especially important.

GenAI is becoming a tool for tasks in everyday life and public libraries are placed to help people navigate it. By creating a beginners training programme this gives public libraries diverse user groups a solid foundation in understanding the basics in GenAI and creates capable, confident users. As GenAI evolves, more in-depth courses targeted at specific user groups can be designed and implemented to ensure communities continue to grow together alongside technology.

 

References

All resources and summaries available by clicking here.

Barrie, H., La Rose, T., Detlor, B., Julien, H. & Serenko, A. (2021). ‘”Because I’m Old”: The Role of Ageism in Older Adults’ Experiences of Digital Literacy Training in Public Libraries’, Journal of Technology in Human Services, 39(4), pp. 379-404. Available via https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/15228835.2021.1962477?needAccess=true& (Accessed on 22.11.25)

Bridges, L.M., McElroy, K. and Wellhouse, Z. (2024). ‘Generative Artificial Intelligence: 8 Critical Questions for Libraries’. Journal of Library Administration, 64(1), pp. 66-79. (Available at https://www-tandfonline com.ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/01930826.2024.2292484#abstract (Accessed on 22.11.25)

Del Castillo, M.S. & Kelly, H.Y. (2025). ‘Can AI become an Information Literacy Ally? A Survey of Library Instructor Perspectives on ChatGPT’. College & Research Libraries, 86(5), pp. 797-816. Available at https://research-ebsco-com.ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/c/hin62q/viewer/pdf/yu3jbnx57f (Accessed on 22.11.25)

Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) (2024). “Libraries and AI”. EIFL. Available at: https://www.eifl.net/programme/ai-and-os/libraries-and-ai (Accessed 21.11.25)

Fricke, M. (2024). Artificial Intelligence and Librarianship. 3rd edition. SoftOption. Chapter 10: What are the Opportunities for Librarians?, pp. 276-287. Available at https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/artificial-intelligence-and-librarianship (Accessed 22.11.25)

Google Gemini (2026) AI Hallucination on computer screen [Digital art]. Created for Carlyn Thomson, 11th February.

Google Gemini (2026) Family on computer in library [Digital art]. Created for Carlyn Thomson, 11th February.

Google Gemini (2025) Laptop in library [Digital art]. Created for Carlyn Thomson, 22nd November.

Google Gemini (2025) Teaching GenAI course in library [Digital art]. Created for Carlyn Thomson, 11th February.

Hampel, C. (2024). A tech librarian explains how to build AI literacy. Choice360. Available at https://www.choice360.org/libtech-insight/a-tech-librarian-explains-how-to-build-ai-literacy/ (Accessed on 22.11.25)

Henchiri, M., & Aamri, A., 2025. Investigation of GPT-Based Tools in Preventing Plagiarism and Enhancing Research Skills for University Students with Technical English Language Challenges: An Experimental Approach to Promoting Ethical Awareness. International Journal of Information and Education Technology. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2025.15.10.2410.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) (2024). Generative AI for Library and Information Professionals. Available at https://www.ifla.org/g/ai/generative-ai/ (Accessed 21.11.25)

Jung, Y., Liu, J., Nazari, M., & Karahan, H., 2025. Empowering Children’s Maker‐Based STEM Learning through Generative AI in Public Libraries. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 62. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.1450.

LaPierre, S.S., (2025). Media Literacy: What Now? Computers in Libraries Nov/Dec2025, pp.19-21. Available at https://research-ebsco-com.ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/c/hin62q/viewer/html/6zzimwqvon (Accessed 22.11.25)

Simons, R.N. (2025). Beyond “If We Use It Wisely”: Character Ethics, the Virtue of Wisdom, and GenAI in Libraries. Library Trends, 73(4), pp. 645-673. Available at https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/968500/pdf (Accessed 22.11.25)

T, B., & Sengaliappan, D., 2025. AI-Enabled Resume and Job Matching Platform. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT. https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsrem53351.

Upshall, M. (2022). ‘An AI toolkit’, Insights, 35(18), pp. 1-16. Available at https://insights.uksg.org/articles/592/files/submission/proof/592-1-6362-1-10-20221101.pdf (Accessed on 22.11.25)