NAVROC 2025

As we navigate the rapidly changing landscape of information and technology, the future of libraries is continually evolving. What will libraries look like by 2035? Drawing on key insights from library leaders in the recently published Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries (March 2024), this talk explores the lessons learned over the past decade, identifies key themes from the book, and forecasts the opportunities, strengths, and challenges that lie ahead.

In this session, Sara will discuss AI trends that are happening in higher education. She will touch on hot topics that are being discussed, ways educators can use AI in their lessons, and ways librarians can have informed and unbiased instruction about these programs in the classroom. Other things she will touch on is how to deter students from cheating in assignments using AI, techniques on how to introduce new programs to students and faculty, how to talk with faculty about the importance of AI in classrooms, and more.
AI has become a topic of concern in higher education, with concerns about cheating, concerns about it being a relevant use of technology that students need to know in order to succeed in their future careers, the ethnical ramifications of using technology like AI in general, and educators not knowing where to start when it comes to AI.

Lightning Talk #1:
This 20-minute lightning talk will be a walkthrough of how teachers, librarians, and tutors can guide middle, high, and university students through the ethical use of AI tools in their homework and projects. There is a phenomenon where students are coming to librarians to do their homework for them. This talk will help librarians provide students with tools to do their own work. I will briefly discuss how image generators such as Midjourney and Dall-E can be used to create presentation images and project sketches, how chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini can create homework checklists and check citation structures, and finally how study tools like NotebookLM can help with research and studying.

Lightning Talk #2:
As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly prevalent in academic research and libraries, librarians need robust methods to evaluate these emerging technologies. This presentation introduces the REACT Framework, a systematic approach for assessing AI research tools across five critical dimensions: Relevancy, Ease of Use, Assessing DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility), Currency, and Transparency & Accuracy. Each dimension is rated on a clear 1-4 scale with specific evaluation criteria, enabling librarians to make informed decisions about implementing AI tools in their institutions. To demonstrate the framework's practical application, we will analyze Consensus, an AI research assistant that leverages Semantic Scholar's database of over 200 million papers to provide precise summaries and insights across scientific domains. This concrete example will showcase how the framework can guide technology assessment by examining Consensus's performance across all five dimensions. This lightning talk will equip librarians with an actionable evaluation method that considers not only technical performance but also crucial aspects like equity, accessibility, and transparency. Attendees will leave with a practical tool they can immediately apply to evaluate AI technologies at their own institutions, supporting evidence-based decision-making in our rapidly evolving digital landscape. The REACT Framework aligns with libraries' commitment to critical assessment while acknowledging the transformative potential of AI tools in academic research and reference services.