Identifying librarians’ readiness to leverage artificial intelligence for sustainable competence development and smart library services: an empirical investigation from universities’ librarians

Purpose This study aims to identify the librarians’ readiness to leverage artificial intelligence for sustainable competence development and smart library services. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research design for addressing the objectives. The population consisted of librarians from the public and private sector universities of Pakistan. The data were analyzed by using Smart PLS software. Findings The analysis consisted of two major parts: first the assessment of measurement model and second the structural equation modeling analysis. A significant positive impact of AI adoption was found on the implementation smart library services. Findings revealed that behavioral intention motivated librarians to adopt AI tools in university libraries for the delivery of smart library services. Research limitations/implications We applied quantitative method to carry out the study while future authors may conduct a systematic literature review on the same topic for offering a broader outlook. Practical implications It has provided practical contributions by providing a baseline for management bodies to construct policies for the successful adoption of AI in libraries for sustainable competence development of practicing librarians and implementation of smart library services. Social implications The study has social implications too as AI integrated library services prove fruitful for society and digitally skilled librarians play a vital role for the promotion of reading and research culture in society. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on librarians’ readiness to leverage artificial intelligence for the enhancement of digital literacy skills, sustainable competence development and smart library services in the context of Pakistan.