Dear colleagues,
Many of us are navigating challenging questions right now: How do we prepare LIS students for a profession being reshaped by AI? What do we teach when the technology itself raises fundamental questions about equity, privacy, and epistemology? How do we address legitimate AI anxiety among students and practitioners while fostering informed, values-driven leadership?
On November 11 at noon ET, Syracuse University's School of Information Studies is hosting a virtual panel that tackles these questions head-on. I'll be moderating a conversation with Sanda Erdelez (Dean, Simmons), Leo Lo (University Librarian, UVA), David Lankes (UT Austin), and Jeff Saltz (Syracuse iSchool) on "The AI Moment in Libraries: What It Means for Our Profession."
This panel moves beyond tools and implementation to examine the pedagogical, ethical, and professional identity questions at the heart of our work as educators. We'll explore:
- How LIS programs should prepare students for AI-integrated library work
- Addressing "AI anxiety" that stems from legitimate concerns about bias, privacy, environmental impact, and epistemic justice
- What skills and frameworks become essential (or obsolete) in this moment
- How libraries can maintain community trust while navigating AI adoption
- The ethical dimensions of whose knowledge gets encoded in library AI systems
The conversation is designed for LIS educators, practitioners, and students, anyone invested in the future of our field and committed to preparing library professionals who can lead with equity and ethics intact.
The AI Moment in Libraries: What It Means for Our Profession
Tuesday, November 11, 2024
12:00-1:00 PM Eastern
Virtual via Zoom (free registration)
I hope you'll join us for what promises to be a critical and generative conversation about this pivotal moment in LIS education and practice.
In solidarity,
Dr. Beth Patin, PhD, MIS, MLIS
she/her/hers
Associate Professor | School of Information Studies Syracuse University
Director | Master of Science in Library and Information Science
Co-Founder | Library and Information Investigative Team Research Group
What I'm reading: Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg
"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." -Audre Lorde