My Facebook feed is full of magnificent images of my friends portrayed as incredible works of art. No, they did not win Powerball and commission portraits from famous artists. Instead, they shared photos of themselves with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) app that used the images they submitted and then rendered their likeness in the style of multiple artists.

Cool, right?

Maybe.

This week Jack sent me haikus and brief talking points about libraries. All were well-written, snappy, and managed to communicate effectively. An AI app wrote each one. Once we stopped reveling in the clarity of the messaging and delighting in the jaunty haikus, we began thinking about the ethical implications of AI and what it could mean for our profession. As we discussed the matter, we decided to pose the question to the AI app. It generated the response in the image above in seconds.

Could struggling to write perfectly worded emails, reports, and whitepapers be a thing of the past? Can we generate content for social media, newsletters, and publications by posing queries to AI? Yes, we can. But should we?

As we see AI more fully integrated into our lives, there are numerous ethical concerns, including, but not limited to:

Who is writing the code? We've seen how implicit bias can impact algorithms, as we've seen when images of white people are used as the default to design responsive technologies.

Who controls the information shared? As my friends share pictures, I wonder who or what manages those images and how they will be used. I think back to a warning a tech-savvy friend gave me more than a decade ago: If you're not paying for a service, you're the product.

Will information shared with AI to generate content be kept private, or does it become the property of an app? What will be done with it? Who will benefit? Who will be harmed?

And there's an ecological cost as well. Technology makes 21st-century life possible. We can order everything from garden seeds to auto parts online and have meals and cars delivered to our homes. But technology takes a toll on the environment, generating carbon emissions that put our planet at risk.

Technology has transformed our world and accelerated the pace of change. As information professionals, one of our challenges is understanding what's coming and how it will impact our lives and educating our communities about the possibilities and pitfalls.

As we consider our way forward, I'll be planning what to wear for the singularity.

MVLS and SALS will be hosting a Zoom presentation on Cyber Liability insurance for your library at 6 pm this Thursday, December 8.

Cybercrime is becoming more common. It is highly recommended that each library should consider purchasing cyber insurance. Cyber insurance policies help cover the financial losses that result from cyber events and incidents. In addition, cyber-risk coverage helps with the costs associated with remediation, including payment for the legal assistance, investigators, crisis communicators, and customer credits or refunds.

Kevin O’Brien from Upstate Agency and Eric Leibowitz from Professional Risk Solutions will provide information and answer questions on Cyber risk and liability insurance. There will be a 30 minute presentation followed by an opportunity to ask questions. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing.

Contact Pamela (pdelsignore@sals.edu) for a link to the Zoom session.

Are you scared of challenges at your library?

Have the culture wars taken the joy out of your work?

Do you feel like you are being attacked for your materials or programs?

Find support for your role in protecting intellectual freedom at NYLA's monthly support group for library workers who are feeling the pressure of standing fast for others’ reading rights. The group will meet at 1 pm on the following days:

• Dec 22, 2022
• Jan 26, 2023
• Feb 23, 2023

Christian Zabriskie, one of the authors and researchers of the Urban Library Trauma Study will facilitate these confidential, voluntary conversations. There is no NYLA membership requirement to participate.

In response to the wave of book bans and challenges that continues across the country and disproportionately targets diverse books by diverse authors, We Need Diverse Books is launching an initiative called Books Save Lives.

As of December 1, the new program will provide grants of up to $10,000 for underserved schools and libraries to purchase banned and challenged books; organize school visits and book giveaways for authors of banned and challenged books; and provide educational materials and resources to those trying to combat book bans at a grassroots level.

WNDB is simultaneously launching a social media campaign with the hashtag #BooksSaveLives that encourages readers to post photos of themselves with the book that saved or impacted their life. The organization also "encourages everyone to speak up at school board meetings, to request diverse books at the library and to purchase and review books by diverse authors."

The opioid crisis in the US continues to take a toll on lives in every class, age group, race, and ethnicity. According to the CDC, overdose from opioids claims 221 lives a day,1 and many more are dealing with daily struggles related to substance misuse and abuse. Libraries can play an important role in education, providing access to prevention tools and helpful—possibly life-saving—information. WebJunction is developing a new support kit to help library staff navigate opportunities and build skills around this topic and needs your help.

You are invited to apply to test this new resource from WebJunction to help inform the final publication. The support kit will include information and self-paced activities that will strengthen library staff’s knowledge and skills related to the opioid crisis, with a goal of creating or expanding programming and services for the community. A group of public libraries will be selected from applicants to test the support kit.

Participating libraries will receive a $500 stipend for testing the content and implementing a local program or service related to the skills and knowledge gained by exploring the kit.

Program participants will provide feedback on the resource before it is made publicly available to help improve the content and structure. Participants will also plan and implement a program or library service using the knowledge gained from the support kit.

Testers will start in mid- to late-January and go through the support kit independently. The program/service designed after using the kit will need to be implemented by the summer of 2023.

Applications are due on December 19, 2022 at 6:00 pm (Pacific), and applicants will be notified of their status by January 4, 2023.

The Centers for Disease Control are partnering with public libraries as part of its Increasing Community Access to Testing program (ICATT).

Color has partnered with the CDC to support free COVID-19 lab testing for under-resourced communities across the nation. Public libraries can sign up to participate in Color Health’s Community Testing Program, in partnership with the CDC and the Association for Rrural and Small Libraries.

Libraries receive supplies, signage and information for participants in the mail, make test kits available and ship samples to the Color lab - all with ongoing support from ARSL and Color.

In addition to helping your community, participating in this program has additional benefits including:

• A free year of ARSL membership after only 10 completed tests!
• $7.50 per test for each test administered
• Materials, testing support for site participation

To learn more about the program:

• Review the program one-pager
• Register here to join a weekly program overview webinar held every Wednesday at 10AM PST/1PM EST

To participate, use this form – or search bit.ly/colorsite12 in your browser.

If you need financial help, scholarship funds are now available. The American Library Association (ALA) has more than $300,000 available to students who are studying in library science or school library media programs at the master's degree level. Get your application in early. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023.

Scholarships range from $2,500 to $8,000 per student per year. They include scholarships for students who are interested in children's librarianship, youth librarianship, federal librarianship, new media and library automation. In addition, there are also scholarships available for minorities, persons with disabilities and people who are already employed in libraries but do not have an MLS.

To be considered for one of these scholarships, applicants must attend a master’s level program in library and information science that has been accredited by the ALA. Take a look at the application and instructions and get started working on your application now.

Applicants interested in school librarianship must attend a program that meets ALA curriculum guidelines for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Complete guidelines and instructions for the nationally reviewed and recognized CAEP/AASL school librarianship education programs are available on the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) website.

The scholarship process is open annually from September through March. For more information, visit the ALA Scholarship page or call the ALA Scholarship Clearinghouse at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4279.

The American Library Association (ALA) announced that its Libraries Transforming Communities project will offer more than $7 million in grants to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve people with disabilities.

Library workers may apply online for grant funding from November 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023, at ala.org/LTCAccess.

Up to 300 libraries will be awarded in this application period, part of ALA’s longtime community engagement initiative, with a second application to open in early Fall 2023 for an additional 300 grants.

Participating libraries will first conduct community input-gathering sessions to assure that their work aligns with local needs. Libraries will be required to identify the primary audience they are hoping to reach (e.g., homebound seniors, children with autism, Deaf community members) and facilitate a community conversation with the impacted populations in order to guide improvement of the library’s services. Grantees will then use the funds to create services or improve their facilities based on the needs identified by their audience.

Selected libraries will receive $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project; virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills; a suite of online resources developed to support local programs; and technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office throughout the grant term.

The opportunity is open to libraries serving small and rural communities in the U.S. and U.S. territories. To be eligible, a library must be located in an area that’s more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area and with a population of 25,000 or less, in keeping with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions of small and rural libraries.

Additional information regarding Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, Grant Advisor RFP requirements and how to apply for grants is available at https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/rfp.

Art Resources Transfer's Library Program provides free books on art and culture to public libraries, schools, and incarcerated readers nationwide.

The book catalog offers 300+ titles published by leading museums, galleries, and independent presses nationwide. Books are free and shipped free of charge. To get started, sign up through the website here.

Arts Midwest is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Program. The NEA Big Read is a community engagement opportunity with grants of up $20,000 for community-wide reading programs (in-person and/or virtual).

Organizations can choose one of 15 available books.

Past grantees developed meaningful and lasting partnerships with other organizations in their community, and program participants have the opportunity to meaningfully connect in-person and/or virtually.

The deadline to submit an Intent to Apply is January 18, 2023. Completed applications are due by January 25, 2023.

If you have any questions, contact Arts Midwest at neabigread@artsmidwest.org or 612-238-8024.

Email: efreudenberger@sals.edu
Website: www.sals.edu
Location: 22 Whitney Place, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Phone: 518 584 7300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernAdirondackLibrarySystem