Opening Keynote - The Benchmark Has Left the Building: Redefining Value and Success Metrics
Artificial intelligence has disrupted the status quo for libraries, publishers, and other providers of content and services to information consumers – and it’s just one of several disruptive forces that are shaping our current and future environments. Today’s information landscape demands new modes of measuring value and impact for providers of information products and services. Yesterday’s benchmarks for successful content dissemination and collection management no longer apply.
In her keynote address, Lettie will share her observations on these disruptions and what challenges they present our community – from changing trends in how users interact with information to our lack of standards for AI-generated content and usage. To help us adapt to these new dynamics, she will discuss ways we might recalibrate our impact metrics for this brave new world. Leveraging human-centered methods, Lettie will propose how we might future-proof our information industries and redefine how we measure value and success.
With more than 20 years’ experience in scholarly publishing and product design, Lettie brings human-centered methods to her work with technology and service providers. She excels in driving optimal engagement with information-intensive products and services, leveraging her R&D experience in market and user research, UX design, analytics, information architecture, data standards, and more.
In her 10 years with Sage Publishing, Lettie played a key role in establishing product management expertise and user-centered product lifecycles. There, she developed expertise in content discovery and access, and universal design for diverse information experiences.
Currently, Lettie primarily serves as Product Experience Architect for LibLynx as well as a part-time instructor in San José State’s School of Information. In her spare time, Lettie is a blogger and Deputy Editor for The Scholarly Kitchen as well as a member of the DEIA Committee for the Society for Scholarly Publishing. You can read more about Lettie on her LinkedIn and ORCID profiles.
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Lunch
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Curating in the Age of AI: A Closing Discussion
As AI-generated books, articles, images, media, and educational resources become increasingly common, libraries are grappling with questions of quality, transparency, discoverability, accessibility, and intellectual freedom. How should collection development policies address AI-generated content? What role should human judgment play in selection decisions? How can libraries evaluate, describe, and provide access to materials created with or by artificial intelligence?
This closing panel discussion explores how collection policies are evolving in response to AI-generated content and emerging technologies. Panelists will share perspectives, lessons learned, and practical considerations for informed decision making aligned with community needs, professional values, and institutional goals.
Robin Hastings is the Library Services Consultant for the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS). In that role, she provides consulting on library services to 40+ libraries in the NEKLS region and manages several statewide services in Kansas. She has presented all over the world on technology topics and teaches classes at Emporia State University and Library Juice Academy. Robin is the author of several books on library-related technology topics.
With 30 years’ experience in public libraries, Donalee has managed and developed collections for all ages across many formats. This includes developing collections for 10 building projects at Salt Lake County Library. For the last decade, Donalee has held the position of Acquisition Librarian and has managed the adult audio collection for their Libby digital service, developed training for staff related to collections and related technologies, and worked directly with branch staff to manage their physical collections, especially AV. In the past year, she has presented on AI & Collections through WebJunction, the Utah State Library Association, and the 2026 Southeastern Wisconsin Libraries (SEWI) Tech Days with a team from Salt Lake County Library.
April Sheppard (they/them) is the Associate Dean of Library at Arkansas State University, where they serve on the university’s AI Policy Committee and Computer and Technology Committee. They have presented on generative AI since 2022, exploring a wide range of topics related to AI and its applications. They are also active in several library organizations. When April isn't working with AI or in libraries, they can often be found watching horror movies or playing board games.