AI is increasingly being used by governments and organizations to make important decisions that have a major impact on our lives. In 10 years, most of those decisions will be made by artificial intelligence (AI). That requires a good understanding of what AI can do, how its algorithms are created, and what the consequences are. It also requires input from people themselves. In the Netherlands, it was decided not to develop AI for people but by and with them, or what is better known as human-centric AI, in which the well-being of people is central, not that of organizations or government; everyone should be involved. In the Netherlands, AI stands for “all inclusive” in line with UNICEF's Sustainable Development Goals. In order to enter into a conversation about AI with the entire population, the most accessible institution, the public library, was chosen. For more than a year, a large part of the population will be involved in a national debate on AI, the AI PARADE. This parade consists of a traveling circus that explains about the good and bad of AI through discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and a national AI course. This will be inspiring and challenging. The findings will be used by the government and organizations to develop a human AI policy for the Netherlands. Hear more about this journey from our popular digital pioneer, who has created the “best library in the Netherlands,” arranged many reading campaigns, and champions data collection.

Speaker:
Eppo van Nispen, Founder, Dok Library and Director, Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision

Digital equity in itself will not result in significant improvements in quality of life unless tightly linked by local leaders to corresponding efforts to dramatically improve educational and economic opportunity, health outcomes, and other key social impacts. Additionally, investments in digital equity initiatives in underserved communities without full integration of systemic solutions will not yield impactful change. What value are “cheap boxes and wires” for low-income learners, families, communities, and wage earners if these resources aren’t tied deliberately and thoughtfully to concurrent efforts to open up pathways to STEM and other living-wage careers? Librarians are perhaps the single most important profession of the digital age. Their training, expertise, and desire to serve as guides to all aspects of digital content and tools make them incomparable partners and leaders in a community’s efforts to make sure that all users’ most pressing needs for relevant, trustworthy information are met. Please join Dr. McLaughlin to learn how libraries can play a greater role in delivering and supporting a systemic approach to digital equity.

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Take a deep dive into the artificial parade with van Nispen. Just for Summit attendees. 

Let’s begin with a real challenge: emotional labour. Emotional labor (spelled in U.S., British and Canadian English) has been acknowledged and addressed for those in healthcare, education, and other roles that are people-intensive and often predominately female-dominated since the late 1970s. What has been frustrating is that the tactics for easing and managing this rather intangible labor have called for managers to better support employees and provide more autonomy and training. These are all quite valid for every employee. Managers and leaders at all levels are also employees. Who is supporting and training those in senior leadership roles? Let’s explore practical supports for you.

Candid conversations with Summit Sponsors including Computer in Libraries diamond sponsors EBSCO, Communico, and OCLC.

Now that we’ve addressed the supports leaders need emotionally, let’s look at the strategic challenges you face. As leaders, we’re expected to make decisions and help people craft solutions. Yet in the current context of exponential change and uncertainty, the decisions and solutions can’t always be based on past experiences. Asking powerful questions prompts us to reframe situations and connect what may seem to be unrelated concepts into the appropriate solution. Powerful questions lead to powerful thinking, strategies, and actions. So, what strategic questions should we be asking?

There is a deep interdependent relationship between library staff, services, and resources. The continually changing format and nature of these resources are challenging us on many fronts, including how we refer to them: Are they collections? Content? Information objects? Curated materials? We consider the factors, realities, and developments of digital, print, multimedia, open access, intellectual property, self-publishing, repositories, curating, pricing and financing, and ownership. Then we take a well-deserved break.

Join us as we celebrate the opening of the Computers in Libraries 2023 Exhibition with tasty bites, drinks, and live music. Featuring leading-edge companies, the exhibits offer visitors a choice of products in all aspects of library technology, including web-based products and services, integrated library and information systems, online services document delivery services and more.  

ChatGPT and other similar large language models have captured the imagination. Our news is flooded with developers curating these models to more closely represent historical figures and/or experts on topic areas. And the news is not always so good. This talk explores the role of librarians in the age of AI. Who better than librarians to trust to determine which datasets, which books, and which speeches to use to train the ontologies that power our AI? Let our expert gamer, techie, and AI specialist paint the picture of possible futures.

Speaker:
Phaedra Boinodiris, Principal Consultant Trustworthy AI, IBM

Hear how libraries are engaging with their communities using new and exciting technology.  Whether it’s a town or region or an educational campus, libraries are finding innovative ways to connect with their customers, users, and students. Get ideas to try in your community.

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Speaker:
Paul Quelch, CEO, Communico

Take a deep dive into the impact of AI for libraries with Boinodiris. Just for Summit attendees.

The word for the last couple of years was “pivot,” which makes some people now gag. To a great extent the library sector did not have the digital strategies that had been discussed for years before the pandemic. What trends and low signals should we be watching, and what strategies should we have in place for next time? Because there will be a next time. Let’s take a hard look and consider some hard questions.

With more than 65% of most library and information department budgets invested in people, libraries truly are people organizations. This discussion addresses the issues confronting library staffing, particularly recruiting and retaining talent, as well as the incredible opportunities for people in the sector. What is the right balance of competency, capacity, and capabilities for today and the near future?

Disruption “for good” was part of the early credo of digital innovation. But in today’s context we need to re-evaluate our feelings and our basic understanding of digitality, disruption, and the tension between change and continuity in our libraries and communities. Disruption is impacting the sector in forms we did not anticipate (book bans; anti-library activism; infowars; and in museums, young climate protesters are defacing cultural treasures to put a spotlight on societal inaction). Edson, a passionate practitioner in the museum and tech industries, shares models and insights to consider as we think through and clarify how to move our organizations forward, with flexibility and resiliency, in challenging times.

What has resonated in the Summit discussions, and what is troubling? Let’s document our individual and college key outcomes and next steps to ensure we recoup our Summit investment.