Issue 138

A version of this article first appeared in the QSLA Term 2, 2026 newsletter.

In the age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), teacher librarians are uniquely positioned to lead whole-school conversation about information integrity, digital fluency and assessment design that cultivates authentic learning.

Recent research on student voice across three Brisbane state high schools1 revealed students wanted partnership, not policing, from their teachers. They are seeking clear guidelines, modelled use, practical demonstrations and non-judgemental support from their educators. Students want teachers to be transparent AI co-learners who provide guidance rather than suspicion (Wignall, 2025). For library staff, this presents a powerful opportunity for the school library to become the safe, expert-guided space where students learn to use AI ethically, responsibly and effectively.

In practice, we are asking teachers to redesign assessment to either embrace GenAI safely, or to intentionally require students to demonstrate their understanding or judgement while using this tool (Lodge et al., 2023).

Embracing AI safely and intentionally can involve the following:

• AI use declarations + artefact portfolios: require students to submit prompt logs, iteration snapshots and a short method note explaining how AI shaped their draft – assessed for process quality (not just product polish) (Corbin et al., 2025).
• Library facilitated miniclinics: teacher librarians teach or co-teach short workshops on fact-checking, bias detection, source triangulation and citation of AI assistance, paired with task-specific checklists (Lodge et al., 2023).
• Feedback-first cycles: build in mid-task check-ins where students explain their choices (including AI use) and act on feedback to demonstrate their evolved understanding (Corbin et al., 2025).

To support teaching teams to rethink assessment, consider using the following methods:

• Process + performance triangulation: pair a written artefact with short oral storyboards or annotated think-alouds where students explain how their ideas evolved – including where AI helped and where they overrode it (Corbin et al., 2025).
• Localised, data-informed contexts: use school-specific datasets, site visits or community briefs that AI cannot fully ‘know’ without student input, shifting value to interpretation and justification (Lodge et al., 2023). 1 711 participants: 352 female, 318 male, 14 non-binary, 27 unidentified.
• Sequenced tasks with checkpoints: design semester-long micro-deliverables (proposal → prototype → peer review → refinement) creating multiple evidence points and reducing opportunities for AI substitution (Lodge et al., 2023).

Why school libraries are central to this shift

School libraries already steward information ethics and research literacies, and in a GenAI era, this responsibility expands rather than diminishes. Library staff are uniquely positioned to anchor whole school confidence, capability and integrity in using AI for learning. As educators and students navigate new technologies, the school library can become the most stable and futurefocused learning environment within the school.

Teacher librarians and library staff could lead this work in three interconnected ways:

• Support academic integrity: teach and model the core habits of academic integrity though fact-checking, tracing source origins, validating information, recognising AI hallucinations and interpreting algorithmic limitations.
• Broker staff capability through PLCs: create safe, collaborative spaces where teachers can experiment with AI tools, trial redesigned assessment tasks and interrogate examples of student AI use. These professional learning communities ensure that AI-aware assessment practice grows in a supported and sustainable manner.
• Model transparency and ethical practice: demonstrate AI use openly in inquiry lessons by generating search strategies with students, comparing AI summaries to authoritative sources and inviting students to critique the accuracy, bias or omissions in AI responses. This modelling reinforces transparency, integrity and critical thinking.

As AI becomes a daily part of how students learn, create, revise and question, school libraries can become the intellectual centre of gravity around which ethical, informed and future-ready learning develops. Just as libraries evolved from book-centred spaces to multimedia learning hubs, they now have the opportunity to grow again into AI-literate inquiry centres, equipping young people with the dispositions they need for a digitally complex world.