Block 4

USE OUR EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR ACTIVITIES!

In this block, we share approaches that were useful for us during the LIBRA.I. training sessions and how you can use these ideas in your own activities.

When it comes to any kind of literacy training, what is often expected from a librarian is to step into the role of a mentor, to lead lectures, and to engage with library users directly. This, of course, can be a challenge. To help you tackle this challenge a little more easily, we have pre pared this block. The LIBRA.I. project started with three in-person trainings, lovingly titled “bootcamps” for library professionals in Latvia, Poland and Belgium. Here, you will find some important learnings based on observations from workshops in Riga, Brussels and Łódź designed to help your participants stay engaged and to keep your sanity in the process. And remember — a truly great activity inspires even long after the bell has rung.

THE TWO APPROACHES

In BLOCK #3, we discussed knowing your audience, which goes hand in hand with finding the right participants for any AI literacy activity you decide to create. Based on our experience, we suggest approaching participant recruitment in two ways:

• Option #1: Working with participants you already know. This offers a safe setting for testing complex AI tools, but you risk getting predictable results and potentially missing out on new perspectives.
• Option #2: Inviting unfamiliar trainees. This brings diverse, unpredictable interactions that can reveal new AI use cases, but you may not be able to as easily guarantee the practical use of the skills gained later.

So, a choice between guaranteed results and new experiences should be made. The question to consider here is: How do you see your activity going and your role within it?

DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE THE WORKSHOP

Before the trainings, our participants were surveyed on their knowledge of AI as well as their expectations for the upcoming workshops. The results helped our lecturers to understand what participants actually wanted to learn about AI (practical tools, ethics, policy, daily work use, etc.). Thus, it was easier to avoid focusing too much on topics that were less relevant to librarians’ realities. Some of the stated expectations revealed fears about job displacement, uncertainty around data privacy, and overall reliability of AI tools, which helped address concerns and misconceptions.

Meanwhile, a look into the participants’ confidence and knowledge in AI issues helped serve as a skills barometer. The same survey was repeated post-training; this way, we gained an understanding of the degree to which their knowledge and skills had improved. Similar surveys for your participants can help you to measure their skill improvement as well as better understand their needs (more on that back in BLOCK #3). Of course, self-assessment is not always the most objective method, but it can show the mood of how your activity went and indicate how much confidence you instilled in your participants. For a more in-depth evaluation, think of a knowledge test, like a multiple-choice questionnaire that can similarly be taken before and after your training. We have prepared an example of such a survey in the Printables Materials section of the methodology.

THE ACTIVITY CONTENT

With these two questions out of the way, we can move on to the content of your activities. First, let us set the stage. If participants arrive early, do not make them sit in awkward silence. Play some music – maybe even AI-generated – to lighten the mood. Then, once the activity starts, break the ice: with a short question for everyone, a quick stretch or something fun to lighten the mood. Remember that you have to manage the learning space as the host of the activity. A good idea is to have helpers — or facilitators — who can assist you in ensuring that everyone’s needs are met. If you have such helpers, make sure they know their role is to guide and ask questions, not to do all the talking, especially during group work. Try to assign facilitators and divide participants into groups beforehand, so it is less awkward for participants to find their place. We suggest making the space as inclusive as possible; seating everyone at the same table (partners and learners alike) creates a safer, “we’re in this together” environment. If participants are multilingual, let them discuss and even prompt in their native languages for quicker and more in-depth group work, while reserving one common language for general group conversations. When planning a larger discussion (like “The Role of AI in Libraries”) that takes place within your activity, it is best to schedule it toward the end of the training or lesson. Then you will consciously put aside time for it and be able to adjust its length depending on how much time you have left. If some time is left over, use the final minutes for a reflection or a quiz to see what everyone has learned.

SOME MORE PRACTICAL NOTES

On the practical side of things, if you are showing examples of AI prompts on a screen, use a large, bold font, or use the zoom-in function if you are providing an example in your browser (200% zoom is recommended ). If the text is too small for the back of the room, be prepared to read it aloud or print it out beforehand and make sure everyone gets a copy. Similarly, always test your videos beforehand and turn on the subtitles. It helps those whose first language is not the one spoken in the video, keeps people engaged if the audio is monotone and helps those who might not hear as well.

After the training you should keep in touch with your participants if you truly wish to know if your activity was practically useful for them. One approach is the aforementioned survey, but some homework assignment could also be a good idea. The participants of our very first boot camp in Riga each prepared a plan for their own activities within a month of the training. We have prepared a printable plan for a possible activity, based on our experience.

Curious where to go after this? Why not look into BLOCK #6 and learn about how you can create your own lesson plan? Or dive deeper into the topic of communities with our Community Building Plan.