Artificial Visions: Navigating the Intersection of AI and Art Libraries

At this year’s ARLIS UK & Ireland Annual Conference we want to give space to the playful, critical and very human ways in which art librarians are adapting in the world of artificial intelligence. We've invited contributors to investigate the role of emerging technologies (including machine learning, generative AI, and natural language processing) in the context of art and design libraries and archives.

We hope to address questions such as:

How are these tools already being used in creative practice, academic research and writing?

How does AI technology disrupt established library models and processes?

How do we educate ourselves on the practical uses and the ethical considerations of these technologies? Are we responsible for educating our users to use these tools critically?

How can we balance our enthusiastic forays into AI while thoughtfully questioning and assessing its (current and future) impact? What are the discussions that are happening, and what are the conversations that need to happen?

How can we work most usefully to support the practice of artists who are engaging with AI in their work?

The questions are many and answers are still emerging and we recognise that delegates will be at various stages of their exploration of this field (and may even not have embarked on it yet). We invite all who are willing to share their stories, hopes, concerns, questions and ideas and we will be offering playful, practical and creative workshops, as well as fascinating talks, that will allow us to come together to discover and debate the impact of these AI technologies in a supportive environment.

Our programme will encapsulate a range of academic and non-academic content and we welcome the perspectives of practitioners who are engaging with the themes we’ve outlined. We encourage anyone who is inspired by or engaging with our theme to attend the conference, whether you are a student, art library worker, curator, academic, artist, early career researcher or independent scholar.

We are thrilled to share that keynote speeches will be presented by Pam Young (Head Registrar at the Victoria and Albert Museum), Juliette Sargeant (Director of Library and Student Services at the University of the Arts London) and Jake Elwes (Artist and Researcher).

VIEW THE PROGRAMME ON THE ARLIS UK & IRELAND WEBSITE

This year the conference is hosted at Central Saint Martins in London. Delegates will have the opportunity to explore the spaces and the library. A list of local cultural venues in the area will be provided so you may explore places that interest you around the Kings Cross area at your own pace.

We have a range of tickets which we hope will make the conference accessible, including Early Bird tickets, Concessionary tickets for freelance, independent and unwaged individuals, and Student tickets. Online tickets are available; excluding some of the workshop content, the programme will be live streamed and links will be sent out the week before the conference. Please review the ticket types to see what's best for you and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

There are a limited number of conference fee waivers available in the form of bursaries for current students registered on a librarianship course in the UK or Ireland and for library workers working towards their CILIP chartership. Please contact us to register your interest.

Further information can be found on the ARLIS UK & Ireland website and you can contact the ARLIS Conference Working Party directly by emailing [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you!

Things to note about coming to Central Saint Martins:

1. The venue is fully accessible.
2. This is a card only site. Cash transactions are not supported.
3. Tours of the library will be scheduled.
4. We encourage you to bring your laptop as this may necessary to participate in some of our activities.
5. Teas and coffees will be available at scheduled times during the conference. There will also be a drinks reception on Tuesday evening and a buffet dinner on Wednesday evening. These are included in your ticket price. Delegates should make their own arrangements for all other meal times and any other provisions they require. There are cafes on site and a range of shops, cafes and restaurants in the area.

VIEW THE PROGRAMME ON THE ARLIS UK & IRELAND WEBSITE

Contact [email protected] with your questions.

Host or Publisher ARLIS/UK & Ireland: the Art Libraries Society