LibTech Insights announces new blog series with the Ontario Council of University Libraries

MIDDLETOWN, CT - Choice is pleased to announce a new blog series beginning in mid-August, AI Tools for Academic Libraries, initiated by Dr. Kari D. Weaver, the program manager for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). The new collaboration will bring OCUL’s multipart blog series to Choice’s technology vertical, LibTech Insights, which provides practical instruction and guidance on using and implementing library technology to thousands of academic librarians worldwide.

AI Tools for Academic Libraries aims to navigate the evolving and exciting terrain of AI tools. Each bimonthly installment will offer a clear, practical look at a specific category of tools, such as research assistants, time management optimizers, and transcription services. With each post, readers will gain concise evaluations of AI products, insight into their potential uses in academic library settings, and guidance on integrating them thoughtfully into library workflows. This series is designed to empower library professionals to make informed, confident decisions about AI technologies.

Daniel Pfeiffer, the editor of LibTech Insights, said, “We’re told that AI’s potential is limitless, but what can it actually do for us in the library space, and can it do it well? Both Choice and OCUL are committed to answering these important questions, and this new series peels back the promises of marketing and hype and uncovers the tools worth exploring and using now.”

Learn more and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.choice360.org/libtech-insights.

About Choice
As a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Librarians, Choice supports the work and professional development of academic librarians by providing tools and services that help them become more effective advocates for their patrons. Through its over fifty-year history, it has established itself as an authoritative source for the evaluation of scholarly resources and as the publisher of trusted research in areas of interest to a changing academic library community.

Today, Choice works to bring librarians, scholars, publishers, and the reading public together, facilitating a shared concern for the discovery, management, and preservation of scholarly information. Please visit Choice at www.choice360.org for more information.

About the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL)
OCUL is a consortium of Ontario university libraries that contributes to the success of learners and researchers through innovative and equitable library services. OCUL works collaboratively to enhance academic information services across the province through collective purchasing and shared digital infrastructure, planning and assessment, partnerships, and professional development.

About Dr. Kari D. Weaver, B.A., M.L.I.S., Ed.D.
Dr. Kari D. Weaver is OCUL’s AI and Machine Learning Program Manager while on secondment from her role at the University of Waterloo as Learning, Teaching, and Instructional Design Librarian. She has considerable experience in professional development programming on generative AI in teaching and learning. She is also the author of the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework.