First findings from OCLC’s new pulse survey series, INSIDER INSIGHTS, capturing real-time decisions across the field
Library leaders are navigating change at a pace that continues to accelerate. Decisions about technology, staffing, funding, and community needs are happening more quickly and with greater complexity than ever before.
To better understand how those decisions are being made in real time, OCLC Research has launched a new series of pulse surveys focused on library leadership priorities. These short surveys are designed to capture how leaders are responding to emerging challenges as they happen, complementing the in-depth research that has long supported strategic and operational planning across the field.
Our first snapshot focuses on AI in libraries.
Here’s what leaders told us.
AI use is emerging, but not uniform
AI is already part of library work for many leaders, but adoption varies widely.
In this survey of 698 academic and public library directors across the United States:
Frequency of AI use
Daily 24%
Occasionally 40%
Infrequently or not at all 36%
A closer look
The spread behind these averages is striking. Among ARL research libraries, 67% of directors use AI every day. At the other end of the spectrum, only 14% of small public library directors report daily use — and 26% don’t use AI at all. Large libraries, whether academic or public, behave more similarly to each other than to small libraries of the same type. Size shapes the reality of AI adoption as much as sector does.
There’s no single path forward. Libraries are starting from different places, shaped by capacity, priorities, and community needs.
“There’s no single path forward. Libraries are starting from different places.”
Leaders are balancing opportunity with concern
AI is not being approached with simple optimism.
Only 13% of respondents say they feel more excited than concerned about AI in their library. Most describe their perspective as mixed:
AI excitement vs. concern
More excited than concerned 13%
Equally excited and concerned 39%
More concerned than excited 33%
Still unsure 15%
A closer look
Sentiment shifts meaningfully by library type and size. ARL libraries are the field’s most optimistic segment — 39% feel more excited than concerned, and none report feeling more worried than hopeful. Small public libraries sit at the opposite extreme: 40% are more concerned than excited, and 21% are still unsure. These differences suggest that conversations about AI may resonate differently depending on a library’s size, resources, and level of experience. This balance is shaping how decisions are made. Leaders are exploring what AI can offer while carefully considering where it fits and what responsible use requires.
Practical value is driving early use
For many libraries, AI is being evaluated through a practical lens.
The most commonly cited benefits are increasing efficiency and saving time. While improving discovery and access remains important, operational support is the primary entry point for most leaders today.
Trust is the defining issue
Across the field, trust stands out as the central concern.
Thirty percent of respondents cite privacy, bias, or ethical risk as their top concern related to AI use. Public library leaders are more likely than academic leaders to point to potential misuse by external entities.
These concerns are shaping how exploration happens. Responsible use is not a secondary consideration. It’s foundational.
“Responsible use is not a secondary consideration. It’s foundational.”
Policy is still catching up
While use is emerging, formal guidance is still developing.
Only 7% of respondents say they provide clear direction and expectations for AI use within their organizations. Many libraries are still defining what governance and shared norms should look like.
“Many libraries are still defining what governance should look like.”
A closer look
The governance gap is deepest in smaller libraries. More than half of small public library directors (54%) say AI has never been discussed in a structured way at their institution — compared with 33% of medium public, 21% of large public, and 0% of ARL libraries. The policy challenge is not uniform: the libraries with the fewest resources to build governance frameworks are precisely those where the conversation has not yet started.
At the same time, there are strong cultural signals:
- 87% agree they actively consider ethical risks when making AI-related decisions
- 72% agree staff feel comfortable raising concerns or different viewpoints
Together, these findings suggest that many libraries have a foundation to build on as policies evolve.
Leaders are focused on what comes next
Looking ahead, respondents point to several shared challenges over the next two to three years:
- AI literacy and responsible use
- Ethical, privacy, and environmental impacts
- Keeping pace with rapid change
- Resistance, fear, and buy-in
- Accuracy and reliability of outputs
These are not isolated concerns. They reflect a broader effort to balance innovation with responsibility in a fast-moving environment.
What this snapshot tells us
This first pulse survey offers a clear view of where the field is right now.
AI adoption is underway, but not uniform. Leaders are approaching it with a balance of curiosity and caution. Practical use cases are leading early exploration, while trust and responsible use remain central to decision-making.
Just as important, the findings highlight how library leaders are navigating change more broadly: Thoughtfully, with strong attention to ethics and open discussion.
A closer look
One pattern appears throughout the survey: library type and size shape the AI experience in different ways.
Type often influences culture, including how experimentation happens and how conversations begin. Size more often shapes capacity, including whether libraries have the time, staffing, or resources to formalize governance and move initiatives forward.
Small public libraries face both challenges at once. As a result, the path toward responsible AI adoption may look very different for these institutions than it does for larger libraries with more resources and dedicated staff.
A new way of listening
This snapshot is part of a broader effort to better understand how library leaders are navigating change in real time.
OCLC’s pulse survey series complements longstanding research by adding timely, highlevel perspectives from across the field. Together, these approaches provide both depth and immediacy, helping to capture not only what leaders are planning, but what they are doing now.
Future surveys will continue to track how priorities shift and how decisions evolve.
Methodology
This email survey was sent to 5,670 directors of academic and public libraries of all sizes in the United States between March 3-12, 2026. Completed surveys were returned from 698 directors, with a response rate of 16% from public libraries and 9% of academic and research libraries. Aggregate results have a margin of error of +/- 3% at the 95% confidence level.
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