Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Academic Library Research Services: Competition, Collaboration or Convergence

Abstract

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is introducing a fundamental shift in the relationship between researchers, scholarly information and academic library research services. Academic libraries have traditionally served as information providers and professional intermediaries, guiding researchers in the discovery, retrieval, evaluation and use of scholarly information. However, the increasing capacity of GenAI tools to perform literature search, synthesis, research ideation, data-analysis assistance, academic writing and reference-style interaction is creating a new form of research assistance that challenges established patterns of library-mediated information access. This article examines the emerging relationship between GenAI and academic library research services from three perspectives: competition, collaboration and convergence. The article argues that GenAI competes with the routine functions of research services by reducing the need for human mediation in some information activities and by offering researchers immediate, conversational and accessible assistance. At the same time, GenAI presents an opportunity for collaboration by augmenting librarians' capabilities in reference services, literature searching, research support and information-literacy instruction. Beyond competition and collaboration, the article conceptualizes convergence as an emerging research-support environment in which the researcher, librarian, GenAI and scholarly information operate as interconnected components. The article contends that the increasing use of GenAI does not necessarily signify the disappearance of academic library research services but rather their transformation. It, therefore, advocates the repositioning of librarians as AI-informed research advisers, the development of AI literacy among librarians and researchers, strategic integration of GenAI into library services with human verification, and institutional policies for responsible AI-suppo