Privacy-Focused AI Literacy for Library Patrons.
A Quick Win for Library Managers.

The PLAID3 Library AI Hub is a managed AI service your library offers to patrons — like your Wi-Fi or your database access, but for AI. Moderated, private, and built around the values libraries already stand for.

No apps to install. No accounts for patrons to create. No IT integration required to get started.


The problem you're already dealing with

Every library director is fielding the same questions right now: What's our AI policy? What do we tell patrons? What about the kids? What do we tell the board?

Meanwhile, patrons are using ChatGPT on your public PCs anyway — with no guidance, no guardrails, and no connection to the library's mission.

You need something you can actually endorse. We built it.


What your patrons get

screenshot of a modern AI chatbot interface

AI chat that works anywhere

A clean web interface that runs on library PCs and patron phones. No app, no account, no login hassle — just a link or an access code from the library.

A real AI literacy program

“10 Things You Should Know About AI” is a self-paced, beginner-friendly program built right into the experience. Patrons learn by doing, with a live AI chat pane alongside every lesson. No tech background needed. No staff time required.

Built-in coaching, not lecturing

The AI chatbot is designed for first-time users, with a gentle hand-holding approach. In addition, tips and hints appear in real-time alongside the chat, providing additional guidance about proper AI usage.

Blocked queries go to a librarian, not an error screen

When the system can't help with something, it says so — and routes the patron back to a human. That's the library ethos, built into the product. Learn more!

What your library gets

screenshot of an application dashboard

A dashboard that answers the board's questions

Sessions per day, week, and month. Average session length. Topic categories — homework help, job search, health questions, general curiosity — without storing individual queries. Blocked query counts. Everything anonymized, everything aggregate.

A one-click board report

PDF export of a one-page usage summary. Board members want a piece of paper. You'll have one.

Three-layer content moderation

Our base layer is non-negotiable: nothing illegal, nothing sexually explicit, nothing harmful. Your library adds its own policies on top. You can always go stricter. You can never go looser than our floor. Learn more!

Your branding, your welcome message

Add your logo, your colors, and a custom welcome message through a simple admin panel. Patrons see their library's service, not ours.

No access to individual patron conversations. Ever.

We can tell you how the service is being used without surveilling your patrons. This is a feature, not a limitation — and it's one your community will appreciate.

Privacy your board can get behind

Sessions are ephemeral

No conversation history is stored. When a patron closes the tab, it's gone. Not archived, not recoverable.

Validate and forget

We check the access code, confirm valid or invalid, and discard it immediately. No card numbers. No PINs. Nothing retained.

The dashboard doesn't spy

Aggregate stats only. No individual session logs visible to anyone — not your staff, not us.


Getting started takes minutes, not months

1

Request demo access

Fill out a short form, get your codes within one business day.

2

Try it with your staff

Explore the patron experience, admin dashboard, and moderation settings.

3

Schedule a walkthrough

30 minutes with our team to answer questions and talk about fit.

4

Go live

Hand out access codes to patrons. That's it. They're online.

No IT integration for launch. No procurement headaches. SIP2 library card authentication and IP-based access are on the roadmap for libraries that want them, but access codes get you live now.


Questions we hear a lot

Pilot Phase
We'll be conducting pilot testing with a few select libraries this spring. The results of our tests will help us ensure an equitable, tiered pricing structure that is fair to library systems of all sizes and budgets. If you'd like to help us pilot this project, complete the form on this page and we'll be in touch!

Our three-layer content moderation system is designed with CIPA requirements in mind. The non-negotiable base layer blocks categories of content consistent with CIPA's requirements regarding material harmful to minors. We recommend libraries consult their own legal counsel, and we're happy to join that conversation. Learn more about our moderation system!

The Hub runs on Anthropic's Claude, chosen for its safety-first design and alignment with library values. We handle all the model management — your library doesn't need to set up anything with Anthropic. We also use OpenAI's "Omni Moderation" to assist with moderation and patron safety.

No. Patrons use a library-issued access code. No email, no sign-up, no personal information collected.

They see a friendly message explaining the topic is outside the service's scope, along with a prompt to ask a librarian for help. No cryptic errors, no dead ends. Learn more!

Yes. The admin panel lets you add custom moderation rules on top of our base safety layer. You can tighten the defaults to match your community's needs — you just can't loosen below our floor.

Near zero for day-to-day operations. The patron experience is fully self-guided. Staff time is mainly the initial setup call and occasional dashboard checks. The AI literacy lessons require no facilitation.

Interested? Get in touch to learn more!

town or city name for municipal libraries, county name for county library systems; include state for either