2024 Learning Circuit: Trending Technology and the Future of Your Library
Throughout 2024 we’ve discussed how “Libraries are Forever.” We’ve seen how partnerships, sustainability, and thinking “green” all lead to the long-term success of libraries. With the Learning Circuit, we’re going to pivot to discuss technologies that are already leaving lasting impacts on libraries of all sizes.
Our morning will open with a keynote address from Librarian Philip Carter highlighting the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in library services. He’ll cover the basics of AI and what to watch for in this quickly-evolving field. In the afternoon, we’ll have a chance to try our hand at using AI to create material and do a fun workshop that will make us more AI-Savvy in the real world.
Virtually every library and library worker will be impacted by AI at some point in the near future. This event will help you feel more informed and prepared for changes to come.
As in previous years, we’ll have national experts Zoomed in to set up the topics for us, and your District Staff will be on hand to guide you through the hands-on workshop portions of the day. Your registration fee of $25 includes a continental breakfast and box lunch.
Please note: The last day to cancel and receive a full refund is Thursday, Sept. 12. Cancellations after this day will not be refunded but can be transferred to another person. Contact Linda.Choate1@Iowa.Gov to cancel or modify your registration.
Date: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Librarians can earn 5 CE credits for attending the Learning Circuit.
Locations:
Each district will host a location for the Learning Circuit to ensure librarians across the state have the chance to attend.
| Northwest | North Central | Northeast |
|---|---|---|
|
Western Iowa Technical College |
Clear Lake Public Library 200 N 4th St. Clear Lake, IA 50428 |
Central Rivers AEA (Cedar Falls) 1521 Technology Pkwy. Cedar Falls, IA 50613 |
| Southwest | Central | Southeast |
|---|---|---|
| Carroll Public Library 118 E. 5th St. Carroll, IA 51401 |
Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library 1250 SW District Dr. Ankeny, IA 50023 |
North Liberty Public Library 520 W Cherry St. North Liberty, IA 52317 |
Agenda:
| Time | Activity | Speaker/Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:15 | Registration | |
| 9:15 – 9:30 | Welcome | State Library Staff |
| 9:30 – 11:15 | Opening Keynote & Discussion | Phillip Carter |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Break | |
| 11:30 – 12:15 | Writing AI Prompts Workshop | District Consultant |
| 12:15 – 1:00 | Networking Roundtable Lunch | |
| 1:00 - 1:15 | Break | |
| 1:15 - 2:15 | Misinformation Escape Room & Discussion | District Consultant |
| 2:30 - 3:15 | Keynote: The Ethics of AI | Reed Hepler |
| 3:15 - 3:30 | Wrap-Up, Conclusion, and Dismissal | State Library Staff |
Additional Details:
Morning Keynote:
Additional details coming soon
Afternoon Keynote:
The Three Cs of AI-Generated Content: Copyright, Citation, and Circumspection
Reed Hepler
A short presentation and brief discussion about the implications of existing copyright law on AI, citation best practices and trends, and quality-and data-confidentiality ethics best practices.
Full Session Description
Many users of AI, especially first-time users, have grave misunderstandings regarding the ethical boundaries of generative AI use. In terms of intellectual property and content generation, the three Cs to remember are Copyright, accurate and thorough Citation, and Circumspection regarding privacy and confidentiality policies and quality checking generated content. This discussion will feature several examples of each of these ideas and discuss these ethical principles and how they relate to education.
Notable examples, such as Zarya of the Dawn, Theatre D'opera Spatial, and the Sony World Photography Awards, will be discussed and used as touchstones for broader discussion. In a similar way, a privacy harms model and citation examples will be used to facilitate discussions.
Users in all fields will need to consider various ethical principles no matter what type of content they are creating or analyzing with generative AI tools.
The three biggest "takeaways" from this presentation will be:
Takeaway 1: -- Models and ideas for creating citation norms for institutional and personal use.
Takeaway 2: -- Discuss the necessary components of confidentiality and quality checking materials.
Takeaway 3: -- Discuss the implications of copyright law and intellectual property concepts.
About the Presenter
Reed Hepler is a digital initiatives librarian, instructional designer, artificial intelligence practitioner and consultant, and M.Ed. student at Idaho State University in the Instructional Design and Technology program. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, with emphases in Archives Management and Digital Curation, from Indiana University. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in History with minors in Anthropology and Religious Studies as well as a Museum Certificate. He has worked at nonprofits, corporations, and educational institutions encouraging information literacy and effective education. Combining all of these degrees and experiences, Reed strives to promote ethical librarianship and educational initiatives.
Currently, Reed works as a Digital Initiatives Librarian at a college in Idaho and also has his own consulting firm, heplerconsulting.com. His views and projects can be seen on his LinkedIn page or his blog, CollaborAItion, on Substack. Contact him at reed.hepler@gmail.com for more information.
