AI in the Library Ecosystem: Discovery, Collection Development, and Risk

As part of BISG’s AI and the Book Publishing Industry webinar series, this session focuses on one of the most thoughtful and complex segments of the publishing ecosystem: libraries.

Drawing on original data from BISG’s 2025 survey of more than 550 North American book industry professionals, this webinar explores how librarians are using—or choosing not to use—artificial intelligence, what concerns are shaping their decisions, and what these perspectives mean for the future of publishing and access to information.

Attendees will receive a concise presentation of key findings from librarian respondents, including a comparison with overall industry responses and an in-depth look at themes emerging from extensive open-ended comments.

The discussion will capture libraries’ first impressions of AI—how they are beginning to experiment, the concerns surfacing early, where policies are still taking shape, and how these initial reactions differ from those of other sectors in the publishing supply chain.

Following the data presentation, BISG will host featured speaker R. DAVID LANKES, Virginia & Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information.

A globally recognized thought leader in librarianship, Lankes has authored or edited 20 books, led more than $13 million in funded research, and delivered hundreds of presentations worldwide. His influential work on “New Librarianship” emphasizes libraries as facilitators of community knowledge and conversation—an especially vital perspective as AI reshapes information creation, discovery, and trust.

His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship, received the ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for Best Book in Library Literature, and he has been honored with the American Library Association’s Ken Haycock Award and the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contributions to the field.

Together, the presentation and expert discussion will contextualize survey findings, explore points of agreement or tension, and identify priorities for future research.

Whether you are a librarian, publisher, technology provider, researcher, or industry observer, this session offers a data-driven look at how one of publishing’s most mission-driven sectors is approaching AI at a pivotal moment. Register today!