The Library at Northwestern University in Qatar is pleased to announce the upcoming symposium, “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Libraries and Librarianship,” scheduled to be held on February 26-27, 2025. This Symposium aims to explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies on libraries and the evolving role of librarians in this digital age with a focus on the Gulf region.

Symposium Overview

The Library at Northwestern Qatar, in collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Information Technology (IT) Section, and the IFLA Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group (AISIG), is inviting librarians, researchers, and educators to participate in its upcoming Symposium at Northwestern Qatar.

The IFLA IT section promotes the sharing of knowledge and best practices in implementing IT solutions across various library environments. Each year, the IFLA IT section conducts symposiums in different locations to enhance global outreach. IFLA AI-SIG focuses specifically on integrating AI technologies in the library and information science (LIS) field. The collaboration between the NU-Q Library, IFLA IT section, and IFLA AI SIG will empower and advance Library and AI research in the Gulf region.

AI impacts all aspects of our daily lives with transformative technologies like generative AI. The world around us is evolving at an unprecedented pace, increasing access to knowledge and creating new informational and ethical challenges. These shifts are broadly reshaping the landscape of libraries and the information professions. In the middle of these challenges, libraries worldwide have an incredible opportunity to reimagine how libraries and librarianship can benefit from the Fifth Industrial Revolution and serve communities by enhancing information access, empowering engagement with these tools, and acting as advocates for information literacy in a world faced with the challenges of AI-powered misinformation.

By collaborating with the IFLA IT section and AI SIG, this Symposium will examine different uses of AI in libraries focusing on the Gulf region, libraries’ best practices in using generative AI and other AI models, and ethical guidelines for utilizing AI in libraries and information studies.

Programm

The event will provide the opportunity to hear sessions from 38 speakers from 13 different countries (Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom, USA, Syria, Oman, Greece, Lebanon, India, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Morocco). Among there will be prominent figures in librarianship in the Middle East, such as Dr. Saif Al Jabiri from Sultan Qaboos University, Dr. Lokman Meho from American University Beirut, and Iman Khairy from Qatar National Library. Additionally, special speakers who are experts in applications of AI in libraries are Meredith K. Saba (Western Carolina University, USA), Elisavet Chantavaridou (University of West Attica, Greece), and Jason Glenn (Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Pittsburgh).

Speakers will also include IT Section and AI Special Interest Group experts, such as Dr. Andrew Cox (Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield’s Information School), Cory Lampert (Head of Digital Collections at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas), May Chang (Library Chief Technology Officer at the University of Cincinnati), and Dr. Hasna Askhita (Head of the Information Department at the Syrian Computer Society).

The various panels in the symposium include a focus on research and applications of AI in libraries; for example, the QNL Panel, IFLA IT Section Panel, NYU all campuses Panel, and IFLA AI (SIG) Panel. As an exemple, the program will end with a workshop on how to build a book recommender system using Python.

The symposium highlights the local context : there will be a panel dedicated to QNL AI innovations, another panel including all education city library directors to represent QF multiversity, and several speakers come from all over Qatar (specifically QNL and EC universities), including the keynote speaker Mrs. Huism Tan, executive director of QNL.

Thanks to the QNL hosts the registered guests will finally benefit from a special tour of the QNL facility.