Hi y'all,

Following up on today's meeting, I mentioned that I'm on the lookout for folks with interest in being on a panel talking about generative AI adoption in their libraries at ALA 2024 in San Diego. Someone asked for the blurb, so here it is:

2022 and 2023 saw generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) make its way into the public’s awareness in an unprecedented way when the companies making text-to-image generation tools like Stable Diffusion and large language models like ChatGPT made their tools available to the public. This session will be a guided discussion between three panelists and a moderator who will talk about how staff at libraries and their associated institutions have approached GenAI, what the process looked like deciding how to use it, and what impacts it has had on the library services they provide.

Due to the rapid pace of development and change in the field of generative artificial intelligence, presenters will be chosen sooner to the conference to ensure that the information given is both timely and relevant. However, topics for discussion will touch on the the following:

- What guidance or policy governing GenAI use do their institutions have, and what kinds of discussions have happened around the ethics of GenAI?
- How have GenAI tools impacted their day to day work, individually and institutionally?
- How are they approaching GenAI with communities they serve? E.G. programming or workshops, technology offerings, or other community-centered services.

It'll get nailed down a bit more once I know who'll be on the panel, but broadly the goal is to provide more of a "here's how it's going" discussion rather than a more abstract discussion of AI in libraries. Speakers are responsible for the cost of travel/lodging and attendance, but the admission rate for presenters is USD$220. 

If you're interested, drop me a line and a paragraph or two about what's been going on at your library with AI! Sadly I can't bring everyone with me, but I'll do my best to give fair consideration to everyone. Early career (grad within 5 years), BIPOC, or 2SLGBTQIA+ librarians are especially encouraged to reach out.

Thanks kindly,
Peter Musser (he/him)
Head of Library Services | OER Commons
Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education