New report, together with a dynamic interactive microsite, looks at how libraries are adapting to rapid change, in areas such as technological advancements in AI, open science and mission priorities.
The Pulse of the Library 2025 report is our second comprehensive annual survey of the library community. This year, our report brings together responses from over 2,000 librarians across 109 countries and regions, representing academic, public and national libraries.
Our 2025 survey revisits the core questions of AI adoption, confidence and professional development, while also exploring the broader landscape of open science, evolving library missions and the impact of wider geopolitical and economic pressures.
What’s changed in 2025
Our report revealed a steady increase in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. More libraries—67% compared to 63% in 2024—are either exploring or actively implementing AI technologies. The majority of respondents (35%) remain at the evaluation stage, ahead of any implementation, but 33% are now in the implementation stages, which is three times as many as in 2024.
Indeed, we noted a statistically significant relationship between the focus of a library to support AI literacy development and the implementation phase of AI.
- Libraries are more likely to be in the moderate or active implementation phases when AI literacy is part of the formal training or onboarding program, librarians have dedicated time/resources, or have managers actively encouraging development (28.0%, 23.3% and 24.2% respectively).
- Respondents who say there is little to no institutional focus on AI literacy were significantly less likely to be implementing AI.
As awareness of AI’s potential grows, our report revealed that libraries are pursuing wider goals with AI, considering it as a tool to address a broader range of possibilities.
- In 2025, respondents selected a greater number of objectives for using AI (selecting on average 4 objectives vs. 3 in 2024).
- The top objectives for using AI remain unchanged from 2024, with support for student learning and content discovery highest overall.
“Current explorations are based on conventional, commercially available AI tools; innovative or unconventional AI applications have not yet been considered or explored.”
Other key findings include:
- Perception gap across roles: 43% of senior library staff rate their confidence in AI understanding as 4 or 5, compared to 36% of junior staff.
- Public libraries snapshot:
- Only 20% were optimistic about the benefits of AI over 5 years, a decline from 26% in 2024.
- 54% have no plans or are not actively pursuing AI.
- External forces reshaping strategy:
- Budget pressures remain the top challenge for libraries, selected by almost half of all respondents (47%).
- Funding cuts are impacting OA collections strategies for almost half of respondents.
Explore the survey findings through dynamic, interactive visualizations
The Pulse of the Library report is accompanied by a microsite, where you can explore the interactive data visualizations. These visualizations provide a deeper understanding of the survey results and allow users to draw additional insights, such as differences across geographies, library types and roles.
You can also download the data and charts for your own analysis and reporting here.
Looking ahead: innovation, professional development and leadership
“In five years, the role of the librarian is going to be so much more digital. I think most librarians in five years are going to have far more IT skills than they have today.”
The 2025 Pulse of the Library report makes it clear that while technological change is inevitable, the human element remains at the heart of library success. The ability to innovate, evolve and provide trusted guidance are seen as the most important skills for the librarian—today and for the future.
For libraries to thrive in an era of constant change, investment in professional development and thoughtful change management are more important than ever. Strong leadership, a focus on AI literacy and a willingness to pilot new approaches will be key to moving from AI aspiration to implementation.
Learn more about the Pulse of the Library.
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