NEW AI WORKSHOPS: "Extraordinary Learning" | "Ethics of AI" | "AI Research Intensive" | "Vibe Coding for Beginners"

Extraordinary Learning with AI
A Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution Workshop with Steve Hargadon

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

OVERVIEW: 

We have more access to information than at any point in human history, and less ability to make sense of it. AI is changing that equation. Tools available right now allow anyone to absorb entire YouTube channels, have spoken conversations with research materials, generate custom books and audiobooks from deep investigation, and even build personal learning applications--all without writing a line of code. These aren't future possibilities; they're things I do every day.

In this 90-minute session, you'll see what's possible when you stop being a passive consumer of content and start building your own learning systems. The key idea: find a problem you care about, and let that drive everything.

The Power of Audio for Learning: One of the most transformative (and underappreciated) shifts in AI-powered learning is the role of audio. You can now listen to PDFs read aloud, have voice conversations with AI research tools like Grok and Perplexity, and build your own audio-based learning tools, like a talking encyclopedia or a conversational news program that reads to you, takes your spoken questions, and goes deeper. Audio turns your commute, your walk, and your kitchen into a classroom. This theme runs throughout the session.

Synthesizing Content with NotebookLM: Import entire YouTube channels, playlists, browser tab groups, books, websites, and audio into a single research environment. Then use NotebookLM's features to generate AI podcasts, briefing documents, mind maps, video presentations, infographics, narrative reports, and custom Q&A--all from your collected sources. We'll cover smart prompting techniques and how to use Gemini to query your notebooks for further research (an amazing new feature).

Creating Custom Books and Audiobooks with Deep Research: Use multiple AI research tools to investigate any topic in depth, then synthesize findings into a polished PDF book tailored to your needs. Convert it to audio for learning on the go. We'll also look at creating daily news digests and topic-based reports, in both text and audio.

Building Your Own Learning Tools (No Coding Required): Through what's called "vibe coding, "describing what you want in plain language and letting AI build it, you can create personalized learning applications. I'll demonstrate tools I've built for myself: a daily news program I can talk to, an "interview me" tool that helps me outline what I know, a talking encyclopedia I can query by voice, and a personal book-building system. You'll see how to get started making your own.

How to Read a Book (or Watch a Video, or Listen to a Podcast) with AI: We'll explore a mindset shift in how to approach any content, whether it's text, video, or audio, using AI to deepen your understanding rather than just consuming passively.

The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register. You'll also receive a reference guide to the extraordinary learning techniques with detailed instructions and advice.

DATE: Friday, February 27th, 2026, 2:00 - 3:30 pm US - Eastern Time

 

The Ethics of AI (2026):
Copyright, Citation, and Circumspection
A Library 2.0 "AI Deep Dive" Workshop with Reed Hepler

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OVERVIEW: 

As AI tools become increasingly essential in schools, workplaces, and libraries, from ChatGPT and other mainstream platforms to specialized applications, understanding the ethical implications of their use is no longer optional.

The challenge: Without clear guidelines, learners of all ages and in all environments risk developing AI practices that undermine professional standards, violate copyright, or compromise work quality. Critical questions remain unanswered: How do we navigate copyright when using AI? When and how should AI assistance be acknowledged? How do we maintain the integrity and quality of our work?

The solution: This webinar provides a practical framework for navigating AI ethics through the "Three Cs":

• Copyright – Understanding intellectual property in the age of AI
• Citation – When and how to acknowledge AI-generated content
• Circumspection – Maintaining quality, accuracy, and professional judgment

Rather than starting from scratch, you'll discover how to apply time-tested ethics and practices to these new tools, whether in the library, the school course, or in the workplace. Leave with actionable guidelines you can implement immediately in your work and share with those you teach and train.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Describe the different ways of talking about AI operations and how those impact copyright.
• Discuss important factors to keep in mind related to one's front-end use of AI.
• Create a plan to guard privacy and confidentiality.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Learn about fair use, copyright, and open access, and how they relate to AI.
• Learn how to adapt common citation patterns to AI tools.
• Learn how to engage in quality control when it comes to AI use, outputs, and products.

This 60-minute online hands-on workshop is part of our Library 2.0 "Ethics of AI" Series. The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register.

DATE: Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00 pm US - Eastern Time

 

AI Research Intensive: The Future of Finding
A Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution Workshop with Reed Hepler

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

 

OVERVIEW: 

This three-hour intensive workshop synthesizes insights from multiple past presentations, blog posts, experiences, and other offerings from Reed Hepler. It focuses on research with AI, using AI to search, information literacy techniques, and other aspects of human-AI collaboration in information professionalism and the general information ecosystem. This session is designed with librarians, researchers, educators, other information professionals, and students in those fields. It encourages researchers to actively use information literacy techniques in proactive, AI-enhanced, holistic search projects.

This intensive builds upon the structure of previous “workshop”-style offerings by offering a split between discussions and participation. Ninety minutes of presentation will be interspersed with ninety minutes of action, whether individual or in a group. Participants will explore AI search tools like Perplexity, SearchGPT, Semantic Scholar, Stanford STORM, etc., and understand THROUGH PRACTICE the difference between search engines, databases, and AI tools used for research.

At the end of this intensive, participants will have built upon decades of critical evaluation skills and adapted them for finding and creating information in the so-called “AI Age”. Additionally, they will have practical skills for distinguishing between authentic 100% human-made manuscripts, 50-50 AI-human “alloys,” and 100% AI “slop.”

The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register. 

DATE: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026, 1:00 - 4:00 pm US - Eastern Time

 

Vibe Coding for Beginners:
Create Interactive Visuals, Mini Apps, and Learning Tools with Ai
A Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution Masterclass with Nicole Hennig

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

OVERVIEW: 

This session is designed for information professionals who want to create dynamic digital experiences—without needing a coding background.

Learn how to turn library statistics and information literacy content into beautiful, accessible interactives. We’ll demonstrate how these can be created using natural-language prompts in a few beginner-friendly “vibe-coding” tools. We’ll walk through how these tools work, what they’re good at (and not so good at), and how to iterate from a rough draft to something you can actually use.

You’ll see examples of how to create:

• Engaging educational quizzes and activities 
• Mini-sites or simple web pages for visualizing library data
• Interactive graphics to help explain complex topics 

Demos may include a mix of browser-based, natural-language “build it for me” tools and AI-assisted design environments. You’ll leave with concrete examples and ideas you can adapt for your own library context.

LEARNING AGENDA:

• What we mean by “vibe coding” (and the approach we’ll use)
• Practical limitations to understand up front
• Examples of vibe-coded quizzes and learning games (and how they were made)
• Examples of visual data displays (and how they were made)
• Ways to share interactives: hosted on the sites where they were created, or embedded in your website or libguides.
• Tool categories and recommendations
• Capabilities of free vs. paid accounts
• Recommended resources for learning more

This 75-minute online webinar is part of our AI Series. Recording and slides will be shared with all registrants.

DATE: Friday, March 20, 2026, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm US - Eastern Time

Survey Results from the Library 2.0 2026 "What You Need to Know About AI and Libraries" Event + Session Recording Link

SESSION RECORDING:

Click HERE to watch the recorded session. You need to be a member (free) of Library 2.0 to access the recording.

SURVEY RESULTS:

We received 1395 submissions (registrations for the event + survey responses). Here are the results.

What are your biggest concerns about AI (personal and/or work-related)?  (Summary)

• Impact on Critical Thinking and Skills: A major concern is the decline of critical thinking, research, and writing skills, particularly among students, due to over-reliance on AI for assignments and tasks, leading to "dumbing down" of the future workforce and electorate.

• Misinformation and Accuracy: Frequent mentions of AI "hallucinations," "fake news," and the spread of misinformation/disinformation, including deepfakes, raise concerns about the validity, accuracy, and trustworthiness of AI-generated content, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.

• Job Displacement and Workforce Impact: Many respondents are concerned about job loss, mass unemployment, and the potential for AI to replace workers, especially as management may overestimate AI's current capabilities.

• Ethical, Privacy, and Security Issues: Significant concerns revolve around data privacy and security, copyright infringement (especially the theft of intellectual property from artists/creators), and the ethical use and bias embedded in AI models.

• Environmental Impact: The negative environmental consequences of AI, including the significant energy and water consumption by data centers, are a frequently mentioned concern.

• Speed of Development and Lack of Regulation: The rapid development of AI technology is concerning because it is outpacing regulation, oversight, and people's ability to keep up with the changes and understand the implications.

What is most exciting to you about AI (personal and/or work-related)?  (Summary)

• Efficiency and Time Savings: A large number of respondents are excited about AI's potential to save time, increase efficiency and productivity, and automate or streamline mundane, routine, or tedious tasks, both personally and professionally. This includes help with administrative work, coding, organizing, data analysis, and creating documents/presentations.

• Idea Generation and Creativity: Many respondents view AI as a useful tool for brainstorming, generating ideas, creating content (like writing drafts, emails, social media posts, images), and enhancing creativity.

• Advancements in Science and Medicine: A significant number of responses highlight the exciting implications of AI for medical diagnostics, scientific discoveries, solving big global problems (e.g., climate change, disease), and processing large datasets in fields like astrophysics.

• Information and Learning Support: Respondents are interested in AI's ability to quickly synthesize, summarize, and retrieve information, assist with research and literature searches, and provide support for learning, including for students and those with special needs.

• Potential and Possibilities: A recurring theme is the sheer potential and vast possibilities of AI technology, with a desire to learn more about its applications and to use it as a powerful new tool in various aspects of life and work.

Comments on any of the topics or things that we might have missed that you would like us to be focused on? (Summary)

• Ethical Concerns and Negative Impacts: A significant number of responses highlighted concerns about the ethics of AI, including environmental impact, intellectual property theft, privacy, potential for scams and general abuses, surveillance, and the broader negative societal effects. Many also mentioned the need for clear ethical guidance, policies (especially for academic libraries), and actively advocating against these harms.

• Practical Application and Use Cases in Libraries: Respondents frequently asked for specific, practical examples of how AI can be used effectively in various library settings, including cataloging, technical services, research, reporting, and general library operations. There was also interest in building custom LLMs for libraries.

• Information Literacy and Training: A major theme was the need to educate users (students, patrons, older adults, and even staff) on AI literacy, including how to use it ethically, how to apply critical thinking when evaluating AI results, recognizing AI-generated content (like books/covers), and training users to retain a healthy level of skepticism regarding issues like hallucinations and misinformation.

• Policy and Institutional Guidance: There is a request for guidance on establishing clear institutional policies regarding AI use, especially in academic libraries where faculty opinions vary and students are starting to use it.

• Basic Understanding and Fear Mitigation: Several respondents expressed a need for basic, simply stated information about AI, acknowledging they are new to the topic, want to overcome fear, and understand "how real the hype is."