With the rise of generative AI in everyday use, there is a rapid transformation in how information is created, transformed, and shared. In connection with the competent and responsible handling of information—information literacy (IL)—AI literacy is increasingly coming into focus.
What does AI Literacy mean…?
AI literacy is the ability to understand AI applications, critically question them, and use them responsibly. These are the prerequisites for harnessing the potential of AI. Competencies such as recognizing and classifying AI systems, confidently using and evaluating them, and critically reflecting on and responsibly shaping their applications play an important role (Filipović et al., 2025; Long & Magerko, 2020).
What support regarding AI do the HSLU libraries offer?
The six departmental libraries and the Information Literacy Office of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts support students, continuing education participants, lecturers and researchers, as well as institutional bodies and networks. The working paper “AI-Literacy at the HSLU Libraries” (in German) provides an overview of the support options available in relation to AI.
In short, the libraries of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts are active on three levels regarding AI:
Level 1 – Individual – AI Literacy
The libraries teach AI competencies critically—for example, we take concerns about “deskilling” (Bartels & Freise, 2025) seriously.
We offer cross-departmental teaching, learning and discussion formats, and provide support within the departments wherever possible. Among other things, we organize AI labs and AI-related offerings within Wissen+, an event series by ZHB and HSLU libraries dedicated to information literacy. Within the departments, we also offer practical examples for didactic questions in collaboration with ZLLF, can provide input in modules, and support lecturers through advisory services.
Level 2 – University/Institution – Access to AI and Networks
The libraries promote a critical discourse on licenses and access to AI at the university level and help connect the know-how of university members, students, and continuing education participants with relevant stakeholders.
Among other things, the libraries evaluate commercial tools and provide them—in collaboration with IT—primarily for AI-assisted literature research and academic writing. They also actively monitor the development of open tools and consider them important alternatives to commercial tools.
The libraries connect members of the university—with each other as well as with other universities and initiatives—regarding university- or department-wide licensing of AI tools in the domain of literature research and academic work.
Level 3 – Society – Critical Discourse on AI
The university libraries advocate for a critical and transparent approach to AI in society. They contribute directly or indirectly to sharpening the critical discourse on AI in society. Current discussions include aspects such as educational inequality, biases in AI-generated information, data security, and resource consumption.
We curate, moderate, and prepare knowledge through special offerings in Wissen+ and the Information Literacy Toolkit.
We connect and support actors inside and outside the university who are already participating or wish to participate in the critical discourse.
The websites of the six HSLU libraries provide an overview of the different, subject-specific offerings on AI and AI literacy at the departments.
References
Bartels, M., & Freise, F. (2025). study smart—With AI: Dein Guide für kluge Entscheidungen mit KI. Universität Hamburg. https://www.hcl.uni-hamburg.de/ddlitlab/gki/gki-landing-page/studi-guide.html
Chee, H., Ahn, S., & Lee, J. (2025). A Competency Framework for AI Literacy: Variations by Different Learner Groups and an Implied Learning Pathway. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56(5), 2146–2182. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13556
Filipović, A., Burchardt, A., Hirsbrunner, S., Michel, A., Puzio, A., Reinmann, G., Schaumann, P., Schroll, A.-L., Tippe, U., & Wan, M. (2025). Künstliche Intelligenz: Grundlagen für das Handeln in der Hochschullehre: Ergebnisse der Arbeitsgruppe „Künstliche Intelligenz: Essenzielle Kompetenzen an Hochschulen“ (No. 86; Arbeitspapier). Hochschulforum Digitalisierung. https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/HFD_AP_86_Kuenstliche-Intelligenz_Grundlagen-fuer-das-Handeln.pdf
Long, D., & Magerko, B. (2020). What is AI Literacy? Competencies and Design Considerations. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376727