Human–Artificial Intelligence Collaboration in Academic Libraries: A Systematic Review of Librarians' Shifting Professional Roles and Jurisdictions

Abstract

The role renegotiation occurring within academic librarianship as AI systems take over jobs previously identified as solely human-cataloging, reference triage, literature screening, and metadata creation-is highlighted in this article. This systematic review synthesizes 30 peer-reviewed articles, systematic and bibliometric reviews, professional association reports, and case studies published between 2019 and 2026, interpreted via Abbott's theory of professional jurisdiction and contemporary human-AI collaboration frameworks, focusing specifically on how the professional role of librarians is being redefined and how skills and jurisdictions are shifting. Review results can be grouped into five themes: role reinvention as mover from custodianship to intelligent collaborator, competency and skill-gaps, automation anxiety and job loss fears, institutional reskilling and training response, and ethical stewardship as an emerging jurisdiction. Across the surveyed data, librarians are holding on and pushing into roles involving judgment, ethical responsibilities, and pedagogy-AI literacy training, algorithmic responsibility, and research consultation-while relinquishing rule-based and service tasks, like basic cataloging and directional reference, to automation. Librarians appear to have stronger conceptual awareness of AI than technical proficiency, and institutional training in AI is associated with higher levels of confidence and job security and lower levels of job loss fears, yet few surveyed institutions have formal AI on-boarding. The review indicates that librarians are in the process of shifting and not necessarily being replaced within academic libraries as a result of AI, to a more situated and judgmental position within librarianship in a way that aligns with Abbotts model of professional jurisdiction and abstraction in order to defend the profession. These implications to librarian education, continuing education and professional development, and further research are considered.