For immediate release | December 23, 2025

PLA launches Transformative Technology Task Force with focus on artificial intelligence

(CHICAGO) The Public Library Association (PLA) has established the Transformative Technology Task Force to advise the association on the evolving role and impacts of transformative technology on library work and to identify and recommend priority training topics relevant to public library staff and users. The PLA Board of Directors voted in June to sunset the previous Technology Advisory Group and shift focus to artificial intelligence in public libraries for the first two years of the new task force.

Led by PLA President Dr. Brandy McNeil, the task force began work in November with a roster of nine PLA members:

Michael Bartolomeo: Emerging Technology Librarian, South Huntington (NY) Public Library; Member, PLA Digital Literacy Committee
Linda Braun: Principal, The LEO Group
Dianne Connery, Development Director, Pottsboro (TX) Library
Mike Driskell: Director, Arlington Heights (IL) Memorial Library
Toby Greenwalt: Principal, Flywheel Strategies (PA)
Morgan Hanks, User Experience Manager, Kent District (MI) Library
Nick Tanzi, Assistant Director, South Huntington (NY) Public Library
Anthony White, Director of Innovation and Technology, Arapahoe (CO) Libraries

“PLA has assembled a powerhouse group to help shape how public libraries approach innovation, ethics, and the opportunities of an AI-powered world,” Dr. McNeil said. “We have big work to do with and for public library colleagues in the coming year.” The task force will curate and develop resources focused on practical solutions, best practices, skills building, and community engagement strategies.

In a 2025 survey of PLA members and non-members, AI was one of the top five priority areas requested for PLA professional development.

Join the conversation with task force members in a PLA Town Hall on January 27 at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time when we consider the questions: How might libraries and library workers lead in relation to artificial intelligence in our communities? How might PLA be a resource and a partner with public libraries in this effort?

The PLA 2026 Conference taking place April 1-3 in Minneapolis, Minn., also will feature several programs related to public library AI use, including:

AI Book Clubs and Digital Literacy for Older Adults;
Prompting AI to Harness Your Grant Proposal;
Trust & Verify: Information Accuracy in the Age of SEO, AI, and Algorithms;
From Prompt to Productivity: Build AI Agents to Boost Program Engagement; and
AI with Heart: Serving People in a Digital Age.

Conference registration is now open, including Early Bird discounts for individual PLA members available through January 9, 2026.

Learn more about the task force and its work at https://www.ala.org/pla/about/people/committees/pla-tftt.

About the Public Library Association

The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 9,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or pla@ala.org.

Contact:

Larra Clark

PLA Deputy Director

lclark@ala.org

Featured News

View all

January 15, 2026

ALA, Leading Education Organizations Highlight Value of Technology for Learning as Senate Committee Examines Kids’ Screen Time

Ahead of today’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing on youth screen time, 17 national education technology, library and nonprofit organizations sent a joint letter to Chairman Ted Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell...

January 8, 2026

American Library Association Kicks Off 150th Anniversary with Youth Media Awards

The American Library Association (ALA) officially launched its 150th anniversary year, marking a century and a half of empowering library professionals, advancing access to knowledge and protecting the freedom to read.

December 18, 2025

ALA welcomes pathbreaking study on the state of the nation’s library facilities

The American Library Association (ALA) welcomed the release of a major national study conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the condition of public library buildings.

December 9, 2025

Supreme Court refuses to hear Little v. Llano County: ALA responds

ALA expressed disappointment and concern following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow a lower court ruling from the Fifth Circuit to stand. This decision will significantly restrict the freedom to read in public libraries across TX, LA, and MS.

Fund Libraries. Tell Congress to invest in libraries.

December 5, 2025

Bicameral Right to Read Act Would Boost Federal Investment in Literacy Programs, Ensure Protections for School Librarians and Teachers

The American Library Association (ALA) and its division, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), welcomed yesterday’s bicameral reintroduction of the Right to Read Act.

Natioanl Library Week 2026 poster: Illustration of a library with Mychal waving from the door to usher passersby into the library. A large sign over the door of the library reads: Find Your Joy! At right is a photo of librarian Mychal Threets smiling with thumbs up gesture while wearing a t-shirt that reads "Library Joy!!"

December 4, 2025

Award-winning librarian and ‘Reading Rainbow’ host Mychal Threets to serve as 2026 National Library Week honorary chair

Award-winning librarian, author, and new host of the children’s program “Reading Rainbow” Mychal Threets will serve as Honorary Chair of the American Library Association’s National Library Week, April 19-25, 2026.

December 3, 2025

ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries

Today, the American Library Association (ALA) greeted an announcement by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants.

November 21, 2025

Court permanently blocks Trump’s executive order to dismantle federal agency for America’s libraries

Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island struck down the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

November 20, 2025

ALA Sounds Alarm as White House Undermines Programs Supporting School and Academic Libraries

This week the White House announced new steps toward dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

November 5, 2025

“Faith for Libraries” Campaign Will Combat Book Censorship and Defend Religious Freedom

Interfaith Alliance, a national leader in defending civil rights and multi-faith democracy, today is launching a new campaign with the American Library Association and Unite Against Book Bans to combat book censorship and defend the freedom to read.