Charles County Public Library is rolling out a new series of free workshops this month aimed at helping residents of every age get comfortable with artificial intelligence — joining a wave of public libraries nationally building out similar programming.
The new series, called AI Ready, launches in September and runs through January 2027, with sessions at CCPL branches throughout the county and some offered virtually. It’s organized into three separate tracks: AI Ready Kids & Families, for children ages 6-11 and their caregivers, covering what AI is, where it shows up in daily life, how to interact safely with chatbots, and how to spot AI-generated content; AI Ready Teens, for ages 12-18, focused on getting useful results from AI tools, content creation, recognizing AI-generated misinformation, and using AI for school projects or entrepreneurship; and AI Ready Adults, covering AI fundamentals, practical everyday use, misinformation and privacy concerns, and applying AI tools to job searching and career development.
“Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming part of how we learn, work, create, and interact with information every day,” said Sarah Anderson, CCPL’s program and outreach manager. “With AI Ready, we want to give our community a place to explore these tools, ask questions, and build practical skills while also thinking critically about privacy, accuracy, creativity, and responsible use.”
No prior AI experience is required, and sessions are designed to stand alone, so participants can attend just the topics that interest them or work through an entire track. The first three sessions kick off this month: AI Ready Teens: What Is AI and Where Is It Showing Up? on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Waldorf West branch; AI Ready Kids & Families: What Is AI? on Monday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m., also at Waldorf West; and AI Ready Adults: AI Fundamentals on Friday, Sept. 25, at noon, held virtually. Registration is required for all sessions.
CCPL’s launch fits into a broader shift already underway across the library profession. The Public Library Association formed a Transformative Technology Task Force focused specifically on artificial intelligence in December 2025, and the American Library Association’s governing council formally adopted guidance on AI use in libraries this July. Other public libraries have moved in a similar direction, including free collaborative AI training for residents at Mesa Public Library in Arizona and pop-up AI programming supported nationally by the Urban Libraries Council — efforts that, like CCPL’s, tend to combine hands-on tool literacy with critical-thinking components around accuracy, privacy, and misinformation.
Full program details, the complete schedule, and registration are available at ccplonline.org/aiready.
