Reassessing Relevance: Public Libraries and Users’ Perceptions in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Lateef Adeshina Ayinde, Raphael Ebiefung, Bolaji David Oladokun · Public Library Quarterly · 2025
Studies on the relevance and services public libraries provide in the era of Generative AI on users’ perception is still nascent. This study uses a mixed method to explore users’ perceptions of public libraries in the Generative AI Era. The study adopts sentiment analysis, Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), and thematic content analysis to analyze data from Reddit. The results showed that 64.4% of respondents expressed positive sentiments about public libraries being relevant, and 22.2% expressed negative sentiments. Results show that reading resources, community wellness hubs, family and kids’ engagement spaces, social work services, and financial literacy are emerging areas where public libraries are relevant.