Applied Informatics: Librarian Scepticism of Artificial Intelligence in Information Retrieval — Does AI Promote Library Usage or Displace It? Evidence from the Nigerian University Library Landscape

Abstract

Librarian scepticism towards artificial intelligence (AI) tools in information retrieval is routinely reframed in African higher education discourse as a capacity gap. This paper challenges that reframing. Using a convergent mixed-methods design — a survey of 214 librarians across 27 Nigerian universities, 32 semi-structured interviews, and documentary analysis of 81 institutional documents spanning 2015–2025 — the study pursues three objectives: (1) to examine the nature and structural determinants of librarian scepticism towards AI-assisted retrieval; (2) to determine whether AI adoption promotes or displaces substantive library usage in resource-constrained institutions; and (3) to investigate gendered and geographic dimensions of differential AI scepticism. Findings confirm that scepticism is epistemically rational and structurally grounded. In institutions where AI chatbots generate citation lists that the local collection cannot fulfil, the information outcome is zero regardless of interface sophistication — what the study theorises as an information supply chain failure (ISCF), structurally analogous to a health system that achieves a correct diagnosis but cannot dispense the medication. Only 27.1% of librarians reported that AI-generated references were typically retrievable locally (17.8% in rural institutions). Female librarians in northern Nigeria reported the highest scepticism and the lowest institutional support. No sampled institution held an operational AI-resource integration policy. The study concludes that AI adoption without collection integrity undermines library utility, and recommends a policy-first, resource-second integration framework.