Abstract:

In recent years, the UOC Library has embarked on a strategic journey to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) not only as a technological tool, but as a driver of cultural and educational transformation. This presentation shares how the Library has used AI with purpose—to improve services, strengthen organisational learning, and foster digital literacy across the university community.

The first initiative, Smart Service Intelligence, combines two complementary systems: SmartLib, a generative chatbot that assists students through the Library Answers service, and GEM, a Generative Evaluation Model that analyses user feedback to detect themes, emotions and improvement areas. Together they form a learning loop where AI helps the Library respond, listen and evolve.

The second project, the AI Knowledge Hub – “AI in action”, consolidates these learnings into an internal collaborative platform. It gathers experiences, training resources, tools and ongoing projects, promoting AI literacy and responsible experimentation among Library and university staff. The Hub demonstrates that real innovation begins when knowledge is shared.

Finally, the Library extends its expertise to the wider academic community, developing resources and workshops that help educators and students understand how to use AI ethically in research, citation, and content creation. Through this, the Library becomes a bridge between technology and critical thinking.

Together, these three layers—service, culture and community—illustrate a holistic approach to institutional innovation. Rather than focusing on automation, the UOC Library positions AI as a catalyst for collaboration, learning and empathy within higher education.

Smart libraries are not built with technology—they are built with people who learn together.

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Smart Libraries, Higher Education, Digital Transformation, Knowledge Management, AI Literacy, User Experience, Innovation, Learning Culture.