This content is drawn from a report authored by the AU Library's Artificial Intelligence Exploratory Working Group. You can read the groups full report covering the current state of AI and making recommendations to library leadership in the American University Research Archive.
As libraries adopt and adapt to AI, each institution will face a myriad of choices as they and society together face the unknown. The competing priorities of users will strain library budgets. Rapid advancements in AI tools will force libraries to make significant decisions based on incomplete information. Additionally, the profound effects of AI on society will reshape how libraries function. To effectively meet the needs of researchers and students, the library must integrate equitable access principles into its evaluation and deployment of AI technologies. This approach not only addresses users' concerns about AI's potential drawbacks and harms but also provides a stable foundation for the library's AI strategy amid the rapidly changing information landscape.
Equity of access is a shared value of the library profession, academia, and the AU campus community. The American Library Association (ALA) defines equity of access as:
“Equity of Access means that all people have the information they need – regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations, or geographic barriers. It means they are able to obtain information in a variety of formats – electronic, as well as print. It also means they are free to exercise their right to know without fear of censorship or reprisal (American Library Association, 2004).”
The ALA further defines their key action area of Equitable Access to Information and Library Services as,
“The Association advocates funding and policies that support libraries as great democratic institutions, serving people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and providing the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work (American Library Association, 2007).”
The ALA distinguishes equity from equality – “fairness and universal access” – by stressing conscious and meaningful service approaches that ensure users have the information access they require to engage with society. Information access and needs may differ for each user due to the systemic inequities resulting from, “race and ethnicity but also owing to religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identification, socioeconomic status or physical ability (American Library Association, 2015).”
American University’s own Inclusive Excellence Plan similarly differentiates between the concepts of equity and equality. The Plan explains equality as “even distribution of and access to resources and opportunities that are necessary to fulfill human potential,” whereas equity is, “(T)he creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion (American University, 2018).” The clear emphasis on proactive action to address societal barriers to opportunity is a critical component of equity of access.
The AU Library’s Vision, Mission, and Values statement is deeply influenced by the commitment to equity of access and its potential for action. The AU Library’s Vision Statement calls for leading, “the creation and use of credible, equitable, accessible information that empowers people to generate knowledge and enact positive change (American University Library, n.d.).” Moreover, the library’s value of being “User Centered” advocates for and supports “equitable models of information production and access” as being critical to the institution's mission.
The AU Library’s Strategic Plan, 2023-2026, further reinforces the actionable nature of equity and directly addresses some of the challenges posed by AI discussed in previous subcommittee reports. The Strategic Plan’s theme of student experience commits the AU Library to engaging with a diverse student body across physical and virtual spaces while providing tools, information resources, and research and learning services equitably. The theme of research acknowledges the AU Library as a critical component of American University’s research support and centers the values of equity and social justice when prioritizing targeted development that aligns with University’s scholarly mission (American University Library, 2023).
The Strategic Plan theme of Research includes the goal of embracing “open and equitable forms of knowledge and support values-informed scholarship,” claims “a critical role in breaking down the barrier to participation in the creation of knowledge,” and emphasizes, “equitable access to our collections (American University Library, 2023).” These calls to action are strengthened by the AU Library’s commitment to account for meaningful actions to support equity and to not treat inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility as boxes to tick (American University Library, 2023).
Equity of access as a guiding principle for the AU Library as it adopts and adapts to AI is clearly established in the values and plans of American University and the AU Library and supported by librarianship writ large. Furthermore, the call to action necessitated by equity of access is applicable to the consideration and challenges of AI tools.