A Yale faculty member recently went to the library looking for books and journals that did not exist. AI had generated the citations.
This story opened the recent JoVE webinar Engaging the Modern Academic Library User, and it exemplifies today’s library-goers: under pressure, short on time, and often turning to tools that promise speed but create new problems instead.
Rather than replacing library expertise, AI is increasing demand for it. Faculty, students, and researchers still need trusted experts who can help evaluate sources, verify information, and navigate complex research workflows.
For library leaders like Yale University’s Janene Batten (Associate Director of Research Engagement) and Gavi Levy Haskell (Associate Director for Computational Methods and Data), this reality has significant practical implications: support needs to be easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to use.