IN DEPTH
Libraries Rewired – the future is now
Last month’s Libraries Rewired Conference brought technology to the fore as information professionals from across sectors came together to hear from thought leaders and practitioners. Rob Green looks at some of the highlights and takeaways from the inaugural event.
LIBRARIES Rewired delivered a packed programme of talks, dis- cussion and workshops revealing insights into the transformative power of technology on information professions. For many delegates the conference was a jumping off point – although throughout the day there were reminders that tech is already embedded in the work of information professionals.
It was apparent that the questions about technological advances go far beyond the simple application of systems or software. Impact and delivery of services need to be considered in the context of users, and the ethical values that information profession- als bring. The reality is that implementing and using new technology does not sit in isolation and delegates were challenged to think about technology in the context of their services and users.
Taking a leading role in the way we use AI-powered technology is one way in which the library, information and knowledge professions can help to shape its use. There are a wealth of tools already available and many of the speakers talked about exploring what’s available, work- ing out how they can best support your role and look at whether they can be adapted or used innovatively to improve the way we work and deliver services.
Rather than solely relying on technology from some of the world’s biggest compa-
12 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
Rob Green (
rob.green@
cilip.org.uk) is Editor of Information Professional
nies (Microsoft and Google), information professionals can explore, experiment and create something new. Speaking at the event, Hugging Face’s Machine Learning Librarian Daniel van Strien pointed out that nobody knows information professionals’ roles better than information professionals themselves, so who better to decide which technologies works best for those roles. Hugging Face provides an online hub which collates some of these tools in one place, allowing users to explore capabili- ties and potential uses.
Getting stuck in
In an arena where change and evolu- tion are happening quickly, the notion of exploration is even more important. Whether coming at things as a complete novice or as someone who is already well
December 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
