In early 2021, Dr Susan Ford, history researcher and experienced programmer, will lead a discussion group considering learning options for GLAMR (gallery, library, archives, museums and recordkeeping) professionals wanting to learn more about AI. Three sessions will consider what we need to know and why, jargon busting and breaking down barriers, and consider accessible learning resources. These discussions will inform an AI4LAM webinar in April 2021, drawing upon real experiences to consider how we build our skills.

Proposed sessions:
Friday January 29, 2.30pm AEDT
What do you know about AI? What do you think you need to know, and why? Join an interested group of AI4LAM AU/NZ Chapter members for a discussion about pathways for the GLAMR community to learn more about AI and its potential in our work. In 2020 we have heard from GLAMR institutions using AI for automated image tagging at scale, aiding discovery of resources, and automated indexing. How do we prepare ourselves and our organisation to exploit these new opportunities. In this session participants will share observations on what they want to learn, share resources they might have already considered and finalise discussion topics for subsequent sessions.

Friday February 26th, 2.30pm AEDT
Jargon busting and getting started. Identifying and breaking down some of the barriers that stop us getting started. Let’s talk about acronyms and accessible resources. As a GLAMR person, what means would you prefer to use to learn more about this? Webinars like those that AI4LAM has been presenting? MOOCs? Book recommendations? How can we help our colleagues learn more about this topic. Participants will identify and select a limited set of resources for review and discussion at next session.

Friday March 26th, 2.30pm AEDT
Report back and share what we have learned from the resources that we have considered over the last month. Share highlights and lowlights, challenges and discuss and consider approaches that librarians, archivists, museum sector colleagues, and humanities and arts researchers might respond to. This meeting will also consider the best way of sharing what the group has learned at an upcoming AI4LAM webinar.

Thursday 29 April, 11.00am AEDT
Susan Ford and other interested parties will share what the group has learned at an AI4LAM webinar. The form and focus of this webinar will be developed in collaboration with the discussion group.

Please express your interest in participating using this form, and we will contact you with further details in advance of the first session. If you have any questions, contact Susan at seford0@gmail.com.

Photo: Tooth powder making, Avon Avenue School, Newark. From the collection of National Library of Medicine, NLM Image ID: A016686, shared on Flickr Commons.