ACRL Artificial Intelligence (AI) Interest Group

Colleagues,

 The Asian, African, Middle Eastern Studies Discussion Group (AAMESDG) of ACRL, ALA invites you to its Research Forum: Artificial Intelligence - Implications for Area Studies Research, Collections, and Libraries on Monday, June 30, 2025, @10:00 am EST/New York.

Academic and research libraries and archives own and provide access to area studies research materials and related services for scholars and researchers studying particular regions of the world. In the era of digital access to information, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance the accessibility and analysis of research materials related to area studies is of great interest to academics, librarians, and a wide range of researchers. AI, through the use of data extraction, text analysis, and language translation among other technological applications, allows librarians to better support scholars studying the culture, history, languages, geographies, economy, and societies of diverse regions of the world, with numerous varieties of resources including documents, newspapers, manuscripts, and multilingual sources of information. Much of the research materials used for area studies are typically not indexed or available through library databases. Albeit in nascent stages of development, AI technologies may allow countries and regions to change the unit level at which information is provided, which will impact the traditional publication and distribution channels for research information such as books, documents, reports, and periodicals, as well as how and how much access to information will be allowed as dictated by national and international policies. In this Research Forum, panelists will explore the potential and challenges that AI presents for libraries in developing strong collections and providing access to the multifaceted information sources needed for area studies research.

Speakers

Dr. Andreas Sudmann, Media Scholar, University of Bonn. Scientific Coordinator & Principal Investigator HiAICS - How is Artificial Intelligence Changing Science? Research in the Era of Learning Algorithms.

Dr. Lise Jaillant, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University, UK.

Moderator

Dr. Steven Witt, Professor, Head of the International and Area Studies Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and Director, UIUC's Center for Global Studies.

Registration

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Organized by

Triveni Kuchi, Co-Convenor, AAMESDG, Social Sciences/Instructional Services librarian, Rutgers University – New Brunswick. & Deepa Banerjee, Co-Convenor, AAMESDG, South Asian Studies Librarian, University of Washington.