Developing an AI Policy for Your Library: A Simple, Grounded Primer For Writing a Resilient and Comprehensive Policy Rooted in Reality

It’s never been a more critical time for libraries to have clear, comprehensive, and secure policies in the face of political turmoil and disruptive new technologies. At the same time, patrons – many of whom will be concerned about AI’s impact on misinformation, jobs, safety, and reliability – are eager to know how their libraries are responding

In this workshop, participants will learn to:

-Secure your community’s trust with a comprehensive and measured policy that demonstrates a clear understanding of how AI functions and its place in the information and social landscapes.
-Develop a consistent and realistic policy that sets clear expectations for staff and allows for smooth compliance and accountability.
-Anticipate and respond to challenges from within and outside your organization.
-Assure transparency and professional standards.

In addition to developing policy, we’ll also look at developing internal procedures for complying with the policy, including how to evaluate AI tools during an approval process, prepare training materials for staff, and integrate the policy with library operations.