AI-generated books and collection development practices: a survey of librarians in Nigerian university libraries

Abstract

This paper explored AI-generated books and collection development practices among librarians in federal university libraries in Southern Nigeria. The study was anchored on the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI). A descriptive survey design was employed, and the study population comprised 424 librarians across the federal university libraries. Using a census sampling approach, data were collected through an online questionnaire, to which 387 librarians responded. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that librarians have a moderate awareness of AI-generated books, have positive perceptions and a high concern about the quality and credibility of such books. It was also revealed that AI-generated books substantially impact collection development practices, making librarians more rigid in the evaluation criteria. The study also found that; policies for selecting AI-generated books were in place but only moderately developed. The tested hypotheses showed a significant positive correlation between librarians’ awareness of AI-generated books and both their perceptions of the quality and credibility and collection development practices. Librarians’ awareness of AI-generated books is a significant predictor of their perceptions of the quality and credibility of AI-books and their impact on collection development practices, including policy modification, assessment practices, and selection policies. The study concluded that awareness is a critical factor in determining how librarians respond to AI-generated materials. The researchers recommended that more training, development of holistic policies and ongoing professional learning and engagement are needed to adequately integrate AI-generated resources into academic libraries.