From Stressed to Streamlined: AI Systems for Busy School Librarians with Lori McGovern

School librarians wear dozens of hats every day, from managing circulation and digital databases to co-planning instruction and troubleshooting technology. With administrative responsibilities multiplying, how can media specialists use AI to streamline the back-end workload without losing their creative touch or the joy of connecting kids with great books? In this episode of _GaETC: The Podcast_, host Dr. Lee Green and co-host Clint Winter sit down with Lori McGovern, Instructional Technology Specialist for Newton County Schools. With a 26-year career in the district that spans high school English, nearly seventeen years running an award-winning learning commons at Indian Creek Middle School, and an Ed.S. from the University of West Georgia, Lori brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the conversation. Lori shares how school librarians can tap into AI assistants like Gemini, Claude, and Copilot to tackle time-consuming tasks like drafting emails, prioritizing overloaded inboxes, and generating lesson ideas. She breaks down why prompt design mirrors classic research and media literacy instruction, how to frame AI as elevated inquiry rather than a shortcut, and why getting comfortable with tools yourself is the fastest way to overcome digital hesitation. Plus, Lori jumps into our signature game, "How Well Does Gemini Know You?", testing the model's predictions on administrative pain points, district-level support, and local dining spots! Catch Lori McGovern live at GaETC 2026 on Friday morning, November 6, for her session, _From Stressed to Streamlined: AI-Powered Systems for Busy School Librarians_!