Wednesday 21st May 2025
Session One: Academic Libraries in the AI Age
10:00am–1:30pm BST
Session Two: Amplifying Your Library’s AI Impact
10:00am–12:45pm EST | 3:00pm–5:45pm BST
On Wednesday 21st May 2025 we hosted a free event: Librarian Leadership on the AI Frontier: Librarian Futures Virtual Summit. We were joined by librarians, partners and the team at Technology from Sage to celebrate the launch of the fourth white paper in the Librarian Futures series.
The free virtual event consisted of talks, presentations, roundtable discussions and workshops exploring the key themes and findings in the upcoming report, and actionable strategies for librarians.
Learn about the Librarian Futures series of reports and discover the key findings of the latest report: Librarian Leadership on the AI Frontier.
In this session, Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, at Singapore Management University Libraries takes us through his thoughts on the AI frontier and how academic libraries can meet AI challenges head on.
Tiago Barros, co-founder of Signals, details the unique challenges AI poses for the integrity of the scholarly record and how Signals are addressing these challenges.
We were joined by Lisa Bird, Copyright and Licensing Advisor at University of Birmingham Library for a session titled Supporting researchers with the selection and evaluation of GAI tools via an evaluative framework.
This session looked at how the Research Skills Team and Copyright and Licensing Team have worked together at the University of Birmingham to offer a package of support for researchers wanting to start using new GAI tools.
In this panel session, Thomas Shaw (Deputy Director, Libraries and Collections, King’s College London), Sean Rife (Head of Academic Relations, Scite), and Ken Chad (Director at Ken Chad Consulting) discussed both the role that the academic library can play in supporting effective AI use and how librarians can make sure they are seen as leaders on the AI frontier.
Join us for Dipping Your Toes into the AI Waters with PJ Purchase, University Librarian & Director of University Library and Nicole Tassinari, Associate University Librarian, Content Services, at University of Phoenix.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword—it’s rapidly becoming an integral part of librarian workflows. In this session, we will discuss how AI is transforming our behind-the-scenes workflows. Discover how we got started using AI and how we’re leveraging it now to align blogs and research guides with the topics users care about most.
Session One: Academic Libraries in the AI Age
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–11:00am BST | Introduction and Keynote - Learn about the Librarian Futures series of reports, discover the key findings of latest report and hear our keynote address from Aaron Tay on AI and the library | Aaron Tay, Head, Data Services, at Singapore Management University Libraries, Matthew Weldon, Library Patron Consultant and Matt Hayes, Managing Director, Technology from Sage |
| 11:00–11:45am BST | Signals Session | Tiago Barros, Co-founder, Signals |
| 11:45–12:00pm BST | Break | |
| 12:00–12:45pm BST | Librarian Discussion Group 1: ChatGPT is now a firmly embedded tool in the student workflow, with over half of students using it at some stage in their process. In this discussion group, librarians are encouraged to consider key questions about student use of AI and to share examples from their own institutions | Gary Brewitt, Technical Consultant, OpenAthens and Adam Barry, Development Manager, Technology from Sage |
| 12:00–12:45pm BST | Librarian Discussion Group 2: AI is here, and it isn't going away. The most common uses of AI in students' research seems to be to make life easier - summarising resources, breaking down complicated topics, proofreading. Are librarians comfortable with these uses of AI? Join the discussion as we discuss: - How your institution encourages students to use AI - The benefits and pitfalls of using AI for summarisation - What uses of AI you are comfortable with, and which would consitute academic misconduct. | Ben Kaube, Co-founder, Cassyni and Becca Richards, Head of Product, Technology from Sage |
| 12:45–1:15pm BST | Supporting researchers with the selection and evaluation of GAI tools via an evaluative framework. This session will look at how the Research Skills Team and Copyright and Licensing Team have worked together at the University of Birmingham to offer a package of support for researchers wanting to start using new GAI tools. | Lisa Bird, Copyright and Licencing Advisor, University of Birmingham Library |
| 13:15–13:30pm BST | Closing Remarks - Find out who has won prizes from the day | Matthew Weldon, Library Patron Consultant, Technology from Sage |
Session Two: Amplifying Your Library’s AI Impact
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–10:30am EST | 3:00–3:30pm BST | Introduction and Key Findings | Matthew Weldon, Library Patron Consultant, Technology from Sage |
| 10:30–11:20am EST | 3:30– 4:20pm BST | Librarian Roundtable Discussion – Addressing AI and Being Seen Doing It – Raising the Profile of the Academic Library | Ken Chad, Director at Ken Chad Consulting Ltd, Sean Rife, Head of Academic Relations, scite, Thomas Shaw, Deputy Director, Libraries and Collections, Kings College London and Matthew Weldon, Library Patron Consultant, Technology from Sage |
| 11:20–11:30am EST | 4:20–4:30pm BST | Break | |
| 11:30–12:00pm EST | 4:30– 5:00pm BST | Discussion Group 1: Our latest data suggests that just 6% of students would reach out to a librarian if they were feeling overwhelmed by academic work - less than would reach out to an AI chatbot. In this breakout room, librarians will be invited to share their thoughts on this, and will consider questions like: - What is the role of the academic library in supporting overwhelmed students? - How can librarians raise the profile of the library to ensure students engage with the full range of library services? - How do librarians balance this in a time of signficant financial challenges? | Kirsten Lorenzen, Senior Marketing Specialist, Springshare and Amy Sparrow, Marketing Director, Technology from Sage |
| 11:30–12:00pm EST | 4:30–5:00pm BST | Discussion Group 2: When asked who provides guidance on AI use at their institutions, librarian respondents to our latest survey identified themselves: librarians. Data from students however seems to indicate they are unaware of the libary's role beyond the collection. In this discussion session, librarians are invited to share their thoughts on a range of questions: - How can we communicate the value of library services and librarian expertise to students? - What should librarians looking to develop their confidence with AI do? - As well as AI skills, what other skills might librarians want to develop? | Kelly Terry, Senior Customer Success Manager, Skilltype, Clare Chan, Senior Customer Success Consultant, Technology from Sage |
| 12:00–12:30pm EST | 5:00–5:30pm BST | Dipping Your Toes into the AI Waters. Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword—it's rapidly becoming an integral part of librarian workflows. In this session, we will discuss how AI is transforming our behind-the-scenes workflows. Discover how we got started using AI and how we’re leveraging it now to align blogs and research guides with the topics users care about most. | PJ Purchase, University Librarian & Director of University Library and Nicole Tassinari, Associate University Librarian, Content Services, at University of Phoenix |
| 12:30–12:45pm | 5:30–5:45pm BST | Closing Remarks - Find out who has won prizes from the day | Matthew Weldon, Library Patron Consultant, Technology from Sage |
Librarian Futures is a series of research reports by Technology from Sage, exploring librarian-patron relationships in the digital age and the ever-changing role of the academic library. This award-winning series investigates a broad range of topics, including the knowledge gap between students and librarians, the librarian skills landscape, and student perspectives on AI.
This latest report will share findings from a global survey of over 1,200 students and librarians, exploring the ways in which students and librarians are using AI to enhance their work, and perspectives on the future of AI in higher education.
