Shaping the Future: The Impact of AI in Social Sciences Librarianship (Materials of the Webinar)
10 June 2025
The IFLA Social Science Libraries Section proudly hosted an international webinar that attracted an impressive turnout of over two hundred participants from across the globe. Chair Abby Moore skillfully moderated this insightful session, guiding discussions that highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in social sciences librarianship.
The event began with a call for papers announced on the IFLA website, generating a wealth of proposals from thought leaders and innovators in the field. After a careful review, the IFLA Social Science Committee selected four distinguished speakers, whose compelling abstracts showcased their expertise and innovative ideas.
The lineup of speakers and the fascinating titles of their presentations are as follows:
1. AI Tools for Systematic Review: Opportunities and Challenges by Dr. Muhammad Yousuf Ali (Karachi, Pakistan)
2. Enhancing Social Science Research in Library Discovery: The Application of Generative AI for Contextual and Exploratory Search by Mr. Luis Ezra D. Cruz (Manila, Philippines)
3. Bibliographic Activity in Social Sciences in the Era of Neural Networks and API Interfaces by Dr. Vadim K. Stepanov (Moscow, Russia)
4. AI-Assisted Emotional Tagging in Social Sciences Libraries: Enhancing Empathetic Information Access by Mr. Ashutosh Kumar Suraj (Chandauli, India)
The webinar’s topic was not only timely but also deeply relevant, sparking dynamic interactions between the presenters and participants. Each speaker delivered a rich, informative presentation that inspired lively conversation and collaboration.
Secretary Robin Kear expertly facilitated the question-and-answer session, ensuring that attendees had the opportunity to engage deeply with the material presented, while the speakers addressed questions with clarity and insight.
As the event drew to a close, Information Coordinator Ekaterina Shibaeva extended heartfelt thanks to the presenters for their valuable contributions, to the participants for their enthusiastic engagement, and to the members of the IFLA Social Science Libraries Section for their pivotal role in orchestrating this enriching experience.
Overall, this webinar proved to be a remarkable demonstration of innovation and collaboration, showcasing the exciting intersections between artificial intelligence and social sciences librarianship.
Materials of the webinar are available at the IFLA Repository.
Materials
AI Tools for Systematic Review: Opportunities and Challenges
AI Tools for Systematic Review: Opportunities and Challenges
by Muhammad Yousuf Ali (Karachi, Pakistan)
AI tools have significantly impacted academia and research, providing valuable support for various research activities. In recent years, a variety of AI-based tools have emerged to assist scholar...
Enhancing Social Science Research in Library Discovery: The Application of Generative AI for Contextual and Exploratory Search
Enhancing Social Science Research in Library Discovery: The Application of Generative AI for Contextual and Exploratory Search
by Mr. Luis Ezra D. Cruz (Manila, Philippines)
Emerging models of information retrieval are reshaping how researchers in the social sciences navigate complex and interdisci...
Bibliographic Activity in Social Sciences in the Era of Neural Networks and API Interfaces
Bibliographic Activity in Social Sciences in the Era of Neural Networks and API Interfaces
by Vadim K. Stepanov (Moscow, Russia)
The total digitalization of information transfer processes and the parallel development of several standards and technologies at once have formed a new paradigm of biblio...
AI-Assisted Emotional Tagging in Social Sciences Libraries: Enhancing Empathetic Information Access
AI-Assisted Emotional Tagging in Social Sciences Libraries: Enhancing Empathetic Information Access
by Ashutosh Kumar SURAJ (Chandauli, India)
In today’s rapidly evolving information landscape, libraries are no longer just repositories of knowledge; they are empathetic spaces that cater to the di...