Amy Deschenes
Interim Director of UX & Discovery
Harvard University
Meg McMahon
User Experience Researcher
Harvard University
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how students conduct research, academic libraries face a critical opportunity to redefine their value proposition. This session presents findings from two years of research with over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines, revealing that while AI chatbots have become essential cognitive partners for brainstorming and navigating complex research, students consistently turn to library resources for credibility verification and validation. The data demonstrates that students are thoughtful, skeptical consumers of AI who routinely cross-check AI-generated content against library sources, who view AI outputs, particularly citations and reasoning, with appropriate caution. Rather than displacing libraries, AI has elevated their role as the authoritative validator underlying AI-mediated workflows. This research offers evidence-based insights to inform strategic decisions around discovery systems, research support services, and resource access in an AI-integrated environment, positioning libraries not as competitors to AI tools but as essential stewards of trustworthy, credible knowledge in an era of information abundance.
