A survey on the current status of AI literacy lectures in China’s university libraries under the AIGC background

Abstract

This paper selects the top 40 universities in the 2025 QS World University Rankings (including 41 tied universities) and 42 “Double First-Class” university libraries in China as research objects, and conducts an empirical study on their AI literacy lecture training activities (including lectures, seminars, etc.). By combining quantitative statistics (structured data such as activity name, sponsor, audience characteristics, and organizational form) with qualitative analysis (text mining of lecture training content), the current status of AI literacy lecture training in their university libraries is systematically examined. The study found that China’s “Double First-Class” university libraries have the following prominent problems in AI literacy lecture training: the degree of attention and implementation strength are different, the participation of librarians is low, lecture training mainly relies on teachers outside the library, the lecture training content is unbalanced, there is a lack of AI cognition and AI ethics, AI lecture training lacks systematicness, and AI skills education is out of touch with practical applications. Based on an international comparative perspective, the paper proposes eight optimization strategies: Strengthen the emphasis and implementation of AI literacy lecture training, provide continuous AI literacy lecture training for librarians and strengthen the construction of AI-Literate librarians, improve AI lecture training content and strengthen AI cognition and AI ethics education, establishing the AI workshop series: achieving systematic and comprehensive craining, increase AI practice components, holding geneAI research cafe, and cooperate with multiple institutions to organize AI lecture training, in order to provide practical reference for the innovative development of AI literacy education system in university libraries around the world.