Level 1: Foundations

AI tools feel like magic until something goes wrong. Understanding how they actually work, at a nontechnical level, changes how you use them. This module gives you the mental model you need to work with AI effectively and critically.

Most people underuse AI because they talk to it like a search engine. This module teaches you how to actually communicate with AI, the skill that separates people who get useful results from those who don't.

There are dozens of AI tools and new ones appear weekly. This module gives you a framework for evaluating them, a practical comparison of the major tools you'll encounter, and clear guidance on when not to use AI at all.

Ethics are not separate from practical AI use; they are embedded in every decision about which tool to use, what to put into it, and what to do with what comes out. This module maps the ethical landscape you need to navigate in library work.

Librarians have been teaching critical evaluation of sources for decades. AI does not require a new framework; it requires applying what you already know to a new type of source. This module bridges that connection.