York County libraries push literacy as AI grows, citing 1 in 4 residents struggle

York County libraries push literacy as AI grows, citing 1 in 4 residents struggle

YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — As artificial intelligence tools become more common in everyday life, leaders at York County Libraries say basic reading skills remain essential — and may be more important than ever.

“1 in 4 York Countians struggle with literacy, and so that's a huge problem,” said Robert Lambert, president of York County Libraries.

Lambert said the rapid development of artificial intelligence, including chatbots, adds urgency to the need for strong literacy skills. He said the challenge is not just accessing information but being able to use it well.

“The question becomes how do you take that information, transform that information into knowledge, and transform that knowledge into wisdom so you can make effective decisions,” Lambert said.

To help keep its doors open and continue serving as a community resource, York County Libraries hosted its second Literacy for Change fundraiser. Lambert said the library system has broad reach across the county.

“We have 93,000 library cardholders throughout the county. Just imagine if every one of those library cardholders gave $15,” he said.

One of the event’s highlights was a book-domino display featuring about 280 books designed to topple in sequence. Lambert said the display was meant to symbolize how support can build momentum for literacy efforts.

“If you can read the cards here, it's breaking down barriers to literacy, one book at a time. Which really translates into it's one gift tipping to the next gift,” Lambert said.

Lambert said that even as society and technology evolve, literacy remains foundational across daily life — from school and work to navigating health care and legal paperwork.

“The value of literacy, from education to employment to health care to any kind of legal documents you got to read. When you have a strong literate society, everybody benefits,” he said.