MIA Learning GalleryLIBRARY & COMMUNITY ORGANIZER TOOLKIT

Library Workshop Hub

Community & Library AI Skills Boost

This toolkit is designed for librarians, digital inclusion workers, and community leaders who want to run introductory computer classes for the public. It aligns directly with the UK Government's AI Skills Boost benchmark, requiring no prior technical knowledge to host.

45-Minute Workshop Lesson Plan

A structured roadmap to guide community groups through prompting and safe AI practices.

AI Skills Boost: Community Workshop

45 mins
Objective:

Help library patrons understand basic AI terminologies, prompting rules, and safety parameters.

Preparation Checklist:
  • Ensure computer monitors are powered on and connected to the internet.
  • Open the Museum of AI Arcade on the terminals: https://museumofai.org.uk/arcade
  • Print out the 'AI Skills Boost Cheat-Sheets' for all attendees.
  • Test the Micro-Transformer visualizer cabinet beforehand to ensure smooth loading.
Workshop Schedule:
00:00 - 00:10
Introduction & Prompting

Welcome attendees. Explain that AI is a helper, not a mind-reader. Teach the RTCC formula: Role, Task, Context, Constraints.

00:10 - 00:25
Arcade Exploration Lab

Direct patrons to open the Micro-Transformer Cabinet. Let them type prompts and look at the connection lines. Discuss how the words they choose change predictions.

00:25 - 00:40
Quiz & Virtual Badge

Guide patrons to complete the 6 AI Skills Boost Modules. Encourage them to take the interactive quiz to unlock their MIA Skills Boost Badge.

00:40 - 00:45
Q&A and Handouts

Answer questions, hand out prompt cheat sheets, and explain how to opt-out of model training in public AI settings.

AI Cheat Sheet Handouts

Printable safety and prompting tip sheets to give library patrons during workshops.

Interactive Group Activities

Fun exercises for computers labs or library circles that demonstrate AI structures.

Activity 1: Offline

The Human ELIZA Game

Divide the class into pairs. One acts as the 'user', the other as 'ELIZA'. Provide the 'ELIZA' player with a strict card of 3 rules (e.g. if 'happy' is mentioned, ask 'Why are you happy?'; otherwise, say 'Please go on').

Lesson: Teaches that conversational systems don't require intelligence or empathy to feel conversational—they simply follow rules.
Compare with ELIZA Cabinet
Activity 2: Offline

Human A* Maze Navigation

Draw a simple 4x4 grid maze on paper or the floor. Have one person try to walk from start to target. Calculate the cost 'g' (steps walked) and heuristic 'h' (straight blocks to exit) for adjacent cells to pick the next step.

Lesson: Explains how coordinates, heuristic guesses, and algorithms systematically navigate paths without checking every single wrong path blindly.
Compare with A* Cabinet