New Workshop: "10 Great Ways to Use AI for Library Programming"

10 Great Ways to Use AI for Library Programming
A Library 2.0 AI Workshop with Crystal Trice

OVERVIEW: 

Library programming is one of the most joyful parts of library work, and one of the most exhausting. The same staff member who lights up while running a packed storytime may also be the one figuring out, between desk shifts and short staffing, how to plan what's coming next and whether there's time to actually do it well.

This workshop offers ten responses to that pressure. Rather than treating AI as a magic shortcut or a threat to creativity, this session positions AI as a thoughtful collaborator that supports, but never replaces, your professional judgment, across the full arc of programming work. Participants will see real examples, work through hands-on exercises, and walk away with concrete strategies they can use the next day.

The workshop is grounded in a simple belief: AI should make space for the parts of programming librarians genuinely love, not replace them. Brainstorming with a chatbot can free up hours for the in-person conversations that actually shape a community. A well-prompted draft of a program proposal can get a great idea past a hesitant supervisor. A few minutes spent generating discussion questions can make a book club spark the kind of conversation people actually remember. The goal is not to do more with less, but to spend your time on the things that matter most.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Apply ten specific AI collaboration strategies across the full programming lifecycle, from microsurveys and proposals through planning, marketing, day-of facilitation, and evaluation
• Evaluate when AI collaboration genuinely strengthens a programming task and when traditional methods better serve the community
• Implement prompting and verification techniques that protect library voice, accuracy, and authentic community connection
• Adapt AI-generated content for the specific audiences, formats, and values of their own library

ACTIONABLE WORKSHOP ELEMENTS:

Over 90 minutes, participants will move through ten focused applications, each paired with a brief hands-on exercise or live demonstration:

• Microsurveys: design and analysis – Draft a one-question microsurvey to surface what your community actually wants, then use AI to spot patterns across the responses you get back.
• Program proposals and pitches – Build a short, persuasive proposal that gets a hesitant supervisor or funder to say yes.
• Brainstorming fresh ideas – Use AI as a brainstorm partner to break out of the rut of running the same program for the fifth year in a row.
• Step-by-step planning – Turn an overwhelming program into a clean task list using planning tools built for neurodivergent and time-strapped brains.
• The details that slip through the cracks – Draft accessibility statements, presenter agreements, welcoming remarks, and the small pieces that make a program feel cared for.
• Marketing copy with library voice – Generate promotional copy across multiple formats without losing the warmth that makes your library yours.
• Marketing images, used with care – Explore AI image generation alongside the ethical questions every public library is currently working through.
• Discussion questions and activity prompts – Generate the day-of content that turns a program from a presentation into a conversation.
• Designing a program about AI – Use AI to design a simple, ready-to-run program that teaches your patrons about AI itself.
• Measuring success – Use AI to make sense of program feedback and evaluation data so future programs land even better.

The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register.

DATE: Friday, June 26th, 2026, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm US - Eastern Time

COST:

• $129/person - includes live attendance, anytime access to the recording and presentation slides, and a participation certificate. To arrange group discounts (see below), to submit a purchase order, or for any registration difficulties or questions, email admin@library20.com.

TO REGISTER: 

Click HERE to register and pay. You can pay by credit card. You will receive an email within a day with information on how to attend the webinar live and how you can access the permanent webinar recording. If you are paying for someone else to attend, you'll be prompted to send an email to admin@library20.com with the name and email address of the actual attendee.

If you need to be invoiced or pay by check, if you have any trouble registering for a webinar, or if you have any questions, please email admin@library20.com.

NOTE: please check your spam folder if you don't receive your confirmation email within a day.

SPECIAL GROUP RATES (email admin@library20.com to arrange):

• Multiple individual log-ins and access from the same organization paid together: $99 each for 3+ registrations, $75 each for 5+ registrations. Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
• The ability to show the webinar (live or recorded) to a group located in the same physical location or in the same virtual meeting from one log-in: $399.
• Large-scale institutional access for viewing with individual login capability: $599 (hosted either at Learning Revolution or in Niche Academy). Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.

ALL-ACCESS PASSES: This webinar is not a part of the Safe Library All-Access program.

CRYSTAL TRICE

With over two decades of experience in libraries and education, Crystal Trice is passionate about helping people work together more effectively in transformative, but practical ways. As founder of Scissors & Glue, LLC, Crystal partners with libraries and schools to bring positive changes through interactive training and hands-on workshops. She is a Certified Scrum Master and has completed a Masters Degree in Library & Information Science, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. She is a frequent national presenter on topics ranging from project management to conflict resolution to artificial intelligence. She currently resides near Portland, Oregon, with her extraordinary husband, fuzzy cows, goofy geese, and noisy chickens. Crystal enjoys fine-tip Sharpies, multi-colored Flair pens, blue painters tape, and as many sticky notes as she can get her hands on.

 

 

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