New Webinar - "10 Ways to Avoid AI Slop in Collections Development"

10 Ways to Avoid AI Slop in Collections Development
A Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution Webinar with Reed Hepler

OVERVIEW: 

In this specialized webinar for librarians and information professionals, Reed addresses one of collections development's most pressing challenges today: the flood of AI-generated content infiltrating library catalogs and acquisition pipelines.

AI-generated books, articles, and media—often called "AI slop"—have proliferated at an alarming rate. These materials range from low-quality self-published books with AI-written text and covers to fabricated academic articles and synthetic media. Traditional vetting processes weren't designed to catch these sophisticated fakes, and many AI-generated items slip through vendor catalogs, recommendation engines, and even peer review processes.

The consequences for libraries are serious: wasted acquisition budgets, compromised collection quality, erosion of patron trust, and the perpetuation of misinformation. Librarians need new skills to identify AI-generated content before it enters their collections, but many don't know what red flags to look for or which tools and workflows can help.

This webinar offers practical, actionable strategies for detecting AI slop during selection and acquisition. You'll learn to spot telltale signs in metadata, covers, reviews, and content—and discover how to leverage both human expertise and (ironically) selective AI tools to protect collection integrity.

• Look at author details
• Look at reviews
• Look at metadata
• Look at cover images closely
• Look at the plot summary
• Search for the data elsewhere
• Work with data of your existing collection (there are ways to use AI to do this)
• Avoid AI in GoodReads
• Work with RA sites
• Avoid AI in Hoopla

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Recognize common indicators of AI-generated content in books, media, and digital resources
• Apply critical evaluation techniques to vendor-supplied metadata and reviews
• Develop workflows that incorporate human judgment and selective automation to maintain collection quality

This 60-minute webinar will equip library professionals with 10 essential strategies for identifying and avoiding AI-generated content in collections development, protecting both budget and patron trust. All registrants will have access to the recording and presentation slides.

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

COST:

• $99/person - includes live attendance and any-time access to the recording and the presentation slides and receiving a participation certificate. To arrange group discounts (see below), to submit a purchase order, or for any registration difficulties or questions, email admin@library20.com.

TO REGISTER: 

Click HERE to register and pay. You can pay by credit card. You will receive an email within a day with information on how to attend the webinar live and how you can access the permanent webinar recording. If you are paying for someone else to attend, you'll be prompted to send an email to admin@library20.com with the name and email address of the actual attendee.

If you need to be invoiced or pay by check, if you have any trouble registering for a webinar, or if you have any questions, please email admin@library20.com.

NOTE: Please check your spam folder if you don't receive your confirmation email within a day.

SPECIAL GROUP RATES (email admin@library20.com to arrange):

• Multiple individual log-ins and access from the same organization paid together: $75 each for 3+ registrations, $65 each for 5+ registrations. Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
• The ability to show the webinar (live or recorded) to a group located in the same physical location or in the same virtual meeting from one log-in: $299.
• Large-scale institutional access for viewing with individual login capability: $499 (hosted either at Learning Revolution or in Niche Academy). Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.

REED C. HEPLER

Reed Hepler is a digital initiatives librarian, instructional designer, copyright agent, artificial intelligence practitioner and consultant, and PhD student at Idaho State University. He earned a Master's Degree in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from Idaho State University in 2025. In 2022, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, with emphases in Archives Management and Digital Curation from Indiana University. He has worked at nonprofits, corporations, and educational institutions encouraging information literacy and effective education. Combining all of these degrees and experiences, Reed strives to promote ethical librarianship and educational initiatives.

Currently, Reed works as a Digital Initiatives Librarian at a college in Idaho and also has his own consulting firm, heplerconsulting.com. His views and projects can be seen on his LinkedIn page or his blog, CollaborAItion, on Substack. Contact him at reed.hepler@gmail.com for more information.

 

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:

November 4, 2026

November 6, 2026

November 12, 2026

December 17, 2026

New Webinar - "Bringing in a Speaker at Your Library: Planning for Safety, Security, and Success"

Bringing in a Speaker at Your Library: Planning for Safety, Security, and Success
A Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security Webinar with Dr. Steve Albrecht

OVERVIEW: 

A 60-minute training webinar presented by Library 2.0 and hosted by ALA author and library service, safety, and security expert, Dr. Steve Albrecht. 

Library programs with presentations and speakers can excite audiences and help grow the public’s perception of the value and worth of their connected communities. They can range from seemingly drama-free topics to speakers, people, and political issues that bring angry crowds, the media, and safety and security concerns to your event.

Bringing in the president of the local gardening club (extremely low risk/not much pre-planning required) is certainly not the same as bringing in a controversial author (Salman Rushdie’s horrible attack at an event in 2022). When stakes are low, we can follow a standard, informal plan to create a safe event for visitors, the presenters, and the library staff. When stakes are high (which may not always be fully known when you book the program), we need a formal, structured, discussed, and practiced event plan.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

This session covers the do’s and don’ts of bringing in speakers relating to:

• Controversial books or topics.
• Debates that may turn hostile.
• Religious-themed events.
• Elected officials (popular or not) or those campaigning to become one.
• Hot-button topics for the local community.
• National political issues.

We will discuss:

• Parking lot security or traffic direction; 
• An ingress/egress, entrance/exit plan; 
• The safety of people with mobility, age, or disability limitations, who may need to be moved to safety, or evacuated quickly and without harm;
• Collecting fees at the door; selling books before, during, and after the session; autograph table security;
• Allowing food and beverages (including alcohol sales); 
• AV equipment installation and support;
• Speakers who are used to controversy may have their own security details and work with their protection teams;
• Getting help from your local police or Sheriff’s Department, who can be a good source of intelligence information, as to potentially problematic people or groups who could cause a significant disruption.

Each participant will receive a PDF copy of library security manager Chet Price’s event action plan from Dr. Albrecht’s The Safe Library.

DATE: Thursday, November 12th, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00 pm US Eastern Time

COST:

• $99/person - includes live attendance, anytime access to the recording and presentation slides, and a participation certificate.
• To arrange group discounts (see below), submit a purchase order, or ask about registration questions or difficulties, email admin@library20.com.

TO REGISTER: 

Click HERE to register and pay. You can pay by credit card. You will receive an email within a day with information on how to attend the webinar live and how you can access the permanent webinar recording. If you are paying for someone else to attend, you'll be prompted to send an email to admin@library20.com with the name and email address of the actual attendee.

If you need to be invoiced or pay by check, if you have any trouble registering for a webinar, or if you have any questions, please email admin@library20.com.

NOTE: Please check your spam folder if you don't receive your confirmation email within a day.

SPECIAL GROUP RATES (email admin@library20.com to arrange):

• Multiple individual log-ins and access from the same organization paid together: $75 each for 3+ registrations, $65 each for 5+ registrations. Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
• The ability to show the webinar (live or recorded) to a group located in the same physical location or in the same virtual meeting from one log-in: $299.
• Large-scale institutional access for viewing with individual login capability: $499 (hosted either at Library 2.0 or in Niche Academy). Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained tens of thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and leadership. His programs for both staff and library leaders are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace. His books include:

The Library Leader’s Guide to Employee Coaching: Building a Performance Culture One Meeting at a Time (in-press, Bloomsbury, 2026)

The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping it Real, Legal, and Ethical (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025)

The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023)

Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities (ALA, 2015)

Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.A. in English. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 28 books on business, security, and leadership. He provides a loving home for four rescue dogs. 

More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht's professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.

 

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 20, 2026

November 4, 2026

November 6, 2026

December 17, 2026

VOTE FOR TOPICS NOW!

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