Evolution of the Professional Role of the Librarian in the Context of Integrating AI-Based Chatbots

The relevance of the research. ChatGPT has changed how people view artificial intelligence. This shift has triggered a sharp rise in research on AI’s role in libraries. Libraries now face intense “innovation pressure” from users, media, and tech leaders, yet they still lack a clear, librarian-friendly roadmap for integrating AI into day-to-day work. Most technical, cybersecurity, legal, and financial challenges should be addressed by experts outside library science, so librarians must identify the specific tasks that require their direct attention. The purpose of the research is to develop a practice-oriented methodology for implementing AI-based chatbots in libraries, tailored to librarians who lack extensive technical training yet play a key role in launching and supporting AI services. The research adopts a systems-analysis and conceptual-modelling methodology. It examines real-world examples of AI-chatbot deployment in libraries and offers a practical visual model with three stages for librarians: preparation, implementation, and maintenance. The result is a three-stage framework: preparation, which covers resource auditing, setting requirements, and structured AI-literacy training; implementation, centered on prototype testing; and maintenance, involving continuous model retraining, performance monitoring, and systematic feedback collection. The scientific novelty. This article is the first to propose and systematize a set of tasks designed specifically for librarians during the implementation of AI in libraries, giving ethical, legal, and educational tasks the same weight as technical ones. The study also re-examines the librarian’s professional role in the age of AI. The practical significance. The proposed methodology allows librarians with limited resources to plan their tasks across all stages of AI implementation. The conclusions. Introducing AI chatbots is the next natural step for libraries. The librarian’s role is shifting from intermediary for users and services to an AI moderator who protects ethical standards. This strengthens the profession and helps create more effective services. Future studies should test this method in different kinds of libraries and write clear, practical guidelines for using AI in everyday work.