Skip to main content
In the Spring of 2024, the University Library partnered with ISU Extension and Outreach to offer library staff a dynamic three-part workshop series designed to demystify Artificial Intelligence (AI) and elevate library staff’s understanding of AI in an academic library context.
The 1st workshop introduced AI and laid the foundation for future discussions around the relevance and application of AI tools in higher education.
The 2nd workshop offered a hands-on experience with generative AI tools
The 3rd workshop explored ethical considerations pertinent to the library’s environment and its role on campus.
Based on feedback from attendees, this series succeeded in helping equip library staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to begin understanding, navigating, and harnessing AI.
Each section below contains resources on the information presented or discussed during each workshop. Workshop 2 also has instructions on how to replicate or adapt the AI tools workshop for use with your library or group.
Facilitated by Scott Samuelson
This workshop laid the foundation for understanding AI. It introduced AI in the context of higher education and libraries, focusing on the intersection between AI tools and techniques, research, and learning.
SS
Published: Mar 21, 2024
This presentation outlines key terminology about AI, distinguishes the advantages and disadvantages of AI compared to human intelligence, sketches the process by which AI is developed, and argues that AI is a name for a vast array of human-made tools with both promise and peril.
SS
Published: Mar 21, 2024
This presentation suggests principles for thinking through when AI should be empowered to do certain tasks, when humans should continue to do certain work (even if AI can do it), and how humans and AI might collaborate in certain processes.
SS
Published: Mar 22, 2024
This presentation argues that we need to continue to care about privacy, that AI poses unique privacy challenges, and that we have a range of strategies to consider in protecting privacy.
SS
Published: Mar 22, 2024
This presentation shows how AI can misleadingly appear unbiased and suggests that technology alone is incapable of fixing social and political problems.
Facilitated by Kate Garretson
This workshop shifted the focus to practical and guided engagement with AI. This hands-on session allowed participants to interact with various generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Dall-e, Khanmigo, Claude, and others.
Published: Mar 20, 2024
An interactive transcript of a workshop presented in February of 2024 to Parks Library staff at Iowa State University. The goal of this session (the 2nd in a 3-part series) was to provide guided, hands-on experience with various AI tools related to academic libraries.
Published: Mar 14, 2024
Instructions and resources for recreating the "Exploring AI Tools for Academic Libraries" workshop. Feel free to adapt these resources to the needs of your group.
Facilitated by Scott Samuelson
Building on the introductory workshop, this session delved into the ethical dimensions of AI deployment in libraries and higher education. In an era where ethical considerations are paramount, this session explored the pressing questions and concerns surrounding AI use, from data privacy and bias to the broader societal implications of AI technologies.
SS
Published: Mar 20, 2024
This workshop session was presented in February of 2024 to Parks Library staff at Iowa State University. The goal of this final session of a 3-part series was to discuss and explore the ethical issues surrounding AI and academic libraries.
(Project Co-Lead) | (Project Co-Lead) | Scott Samuelson and Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies |
This workshop series was funded and supported through the University Library’s Strategic Plan AI Proposal Initiative and presented in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
