An AI reference library is a selected group of documents that you can ask questions about. It can help you find a rule in a volunteer handbook, locate an instruction in a manual, or compare notes from a project.
Start with three to five documents you understand. A small, relevant collection makes it easier to notice a missing source or a wrong answer.
Guided practice · Beginner
Try a three-source reference library
Compare an answer with three short documents. Notice conflicting times, an unconfirmed owner and information the sources do not provide.
- Time: about 15–20 minutes for the practice.
- Device: a phone, tablet or computer.
- AI account: optional. Read the worked example, or paste the complete exercise into a text-chat tool you already use.
All practice material below is fictional. You do not need to upload a file, connect an account or use real work information.
Need help? Copy the exercise or Handle invented details.
You can do the whole practice as a text-chat exercise. Creating a notebook or uploading your own documents is optional and comes later.
Choose a purpose and a few sources
For a community event, your collection might contain a venue handbook, the current event plan and an equipment list. Give each file a descriptive name and record its date or version.
Prefer the actual source document over someone else’s summary. Include an older version only if comparing versions is part of the task, and label it clearly.
Use material you are allowed to upload. A household folder containing passports, financial records and private correspondence is a poor starting exercise. Public manuals or fictional project notes let you learn without exposing that information.
Create a small notebook
One option is Google’s Gemini Notebook at notebook.google.com. On a computer, create or open a notebook and use Add sources to select your documents. Google’s source guide explains supported formats and import behavior.
Check what arrived. Web imports capture page text, not every linked page or embedded item. Google-file imports omit comments and footnotes. Uploaded files and connected sources can update differently; confirm the current version rather than assuming every source stays synchronized.
Those details matter when a deadline lives in a comment or an instruction has changed since you uploaded a file.
Ask a question with a boundary
Copy a complete three-source exercise
The handbook, draft plan and equipment list below are invented teaching material. Their short source labels make each claim easy to check. Copy the entire exercise, including all three sources.
This is a fictional practice collection. Using only sources A, B and C below, what needs confirming before room setup? Separate venue requirements, draft plans and equipment facts. For each claim, give its source label and a short supporting quotation. Show conflicts and missing information explicitly. Do not resolve a conflict by guessing, turn a proposal into an agreement, add rules from general knowledge or take action in other apps.
Source A — Venue handbook, version 2.
A1: “Room access begins at 09:30 on Saturday.”
A2: “Keep all exits clear during setup and the event.”Source B — Event plan, draft 1.
B1: “Proposed room setup: 09:00 on Saturday.”
B2: “Jordan is proposed to check the equipment, but has not agreed.”Source C — Venue equipment list, version 1.
C1: “Available equipment: two tables, twelve chairs and one projector.”
Worked example: keep the sources separate
This is an illustrative answer, not a recorded AI test. Check the quoted words against the source labels yourself.
- Resolve the setup-time conflict. A1 says “Room access begins at 09:30”; B1 proposes “09:00”. Ask whether the plan will move to 09:30 or whether earlier access can be authorized. Earlier access is not currently established by these documents.
- Preserve the venue requirement. A2 says “Keep all exits clear”. Carry that requirement into the setup plan; do not describe it as an optional suggestion from the event team.
- Confirm the equipment-check owner. B2 says Jordan “has not agreed”. Ask who will do the check. Do not assign it to Jordan as a confirmed task.
- Check the inventory’s limits. C1 lists two tables, twelve chairs and one projector. Whether a projector remote is included is not stated. Ask about it if needed; missing from the text does not mean absent from the room.
Spot the mistake: “Setup is approved for 09:00 and Jordan will bring the remote”
That sentence hides the A1/B1 conflict, turns Jordan’s proposed role into a promise and invents a remote-control commitment.
Repair: “The draft proposes 09:00 setup, but the handbook allows access from 09:30. Resolve that conflict. Jordan’s equipment-check role is unconfirmed, and the remote’s availability is not stated.”
If a revision still chooses a setup time, keep the conflict visible and stop using the draft as an instruction. Ask the responsible coordinator which approved rule applies, then record the answer with its source.
If the equipment list does not say whether a projector has a remote control, “not stated” is the correct result. AI should not complete the inventory from what projectors usually include.
Open the evidence
Google’s notebook chat lets you select sources and open citations to inspect supporting material. See its chat and citation instructions.
Read the cited passage yourself. Does it support the whole claim, or just one part? Check nearby exceptions and any reference to another section. If the answer names a source you did not intend to use, narrow the selection and ask again.
Keep the original documents accessible. A notebook is a reference aid; an answer inside it is not an approved change to the underlying plan or handbook.
Keep the collection useful
When a source changes, check whether the notebook has the new version. Replace an outdated upload when needed and remove obsolete sources from active questions. Keep version comparisons in a clearly identified collection.
Try three questions whose answers you already know. Then ask one question the documents cannot answer. This checks both whether the tool finds useful information and whether it acknowledges a gap.
For a single long file, start with our document-summary guide. For sensitive material, read what to consider before sharing information with AI.
Finish this practice
You have finished when: you can trace each claim to A, B or C, explain the time conflict, and leave the owner and remote-control questions unresolved until someone confirms them.
Want to keep what you learned? Save a practice record (PDF or Word). Note whether you read the worked example or tried an AI response yourself.
Recommended next lesson
When your collection needs another source, practise checking where an AI search answer came from.
Website check, October 14, 2026: see what was checked and its limits.
Practice added October 14, 2026: three complete fictional sources, a worked comparison and a mistake-and-repair example. This is teaching material, not a recorded tool test.
Featured photo: Drew Coffman on Unsplash. Illustrative photo.