OVERVIEW:
AI is reshaping libraries in ways that raise hard questions and real opportunities, and library workers are responding with everything from skepticism to excitement to alarm. This three-hour mini-conference, "Perspectives on AI: Exploring Experiences with AI in Library Work" on Thursday, April 9, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm US-Pacific Time, is designed to honor that complexity so attendees can form their own informed, values-grounded view.
The mini-conference will explore AI from the angles that matter to library workers:
- Understanding risks and potential harms;
- Practical applications in library and administrative work;
- Research and information literacy;
- Leadership decision-making;
- Ethical considerations;
- Supporting patrons who are navigating AI in their own lives.
The call for proposals is now open at https://www.library20.com/callforproposals.
Please join us for a conversation that will be as broad and honest as the topic deserves. Attendance is free and open to all. We have had over 1250 registrations for the conference after just the first email announcement.
CONFERENCE CHAIR:
California State Librarian
OPENING KEYNOTE PANEL & SPECIAL ORGANIZER
Greg Lucas was appointed California’s 25th State Librarian by Governor Jerry Brown on March 25, 2014.
Prior to his appointment, Greg was the Capitol Bureau Chief for the San Francisco Chronicle, where he covered politics and policy at the State Capitol for nearly 20 years.
During Greg’s tenure as State Librarian, the State Library’s priorities have been to improve reading skills throughout the state, put library cards into the hands of every school kid and provide all Californians the information they need – no matter what community they live in.
The State Library invests $10 million annually in local libraries to help them develop more innovative and efficient ways to serve their communities.
Since 2015, the State Library has improved access for millions of Californians by helping connect more than 1,000 of the state’s 1,129 libraries to a high-speed Internet network that links universities, colleges, schools, and libraries around the world.
Greg holds a Master’s in Library and Information Science from California State University San Jose, a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California, and a degree in communications from Stanford University.
REGISTER:
This is a free event, being held live online and also recorded.
to attend live and/or to receive the recording links afterward.
Please also join the Library 2.0 community to be kept updated on this and future events.
Everyone is invited to participate in our Library 2.0 conference events, which are designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among information professionals worldwide. Each three-hour event consists of a keynote panel, 10-15 crowd-sourced thirty-minute presentations, and a closing keynote.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
We're seeking speakers who reflect the full spectrum of viewpoints on AI, including researchers using AI in their work, frontline staff helping patrons understand it, leaders wrestling with policy decisions, and advocates raising critical questions about safety and ethics. If you have a perspective on AI in libraries you’d like to share, we'd like to hear it. The call for proposals will go live at https://www.library20.com/miniconferences/perspectives-on-ai the first week in March.
PARTNERS:
This conference is a collaborative project of California Libraries Learn, the California Library Association, California State Library, and Library 2.0. It is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:
Started March 4, 2026
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March 26, 2026
April 15, 2026
