WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AI: The Library 2.0 2026 "AI and Libraries" Overview on February 17th (and recording information)

What You Need to Know About AI
The Library 2.0 2026 "AI and Libraries" Overview: Where We Are Now
A 1-hour Free Webinar with Crystal Trice

OVERVIEW:

Artificial intelligence is changing faster than most of us can keep up with. If you work in libraries, you've probably wondered what's real and what's hype, or what any of this means for the work you care about.

This free one-hour webinar offers a calm, non-technical look at where AI stands right now, including emerging trends in how it’s being used, how work is beginning to shift, and the real questions showing up in libraries.

We'll also bring your colleagues' voices into the conversation. When you register, you'll have a chance to respond to a short survey, and we'll share what people are curious about, concerned about, and hoping to understand better.

In this free webinar, you will:

• Understand how AI has moved from experimental to practical, in plain language
• See current trends in how libraries and other organizations are using AI
• Hear what your peers are thinking, based on anonymous survey responses
• Identify practical questions worth discussing with your team or organization
• Leave with a clearer sense of what to pay attention to next, without overwhelm

This session is open to library staff, leaders, trustees, partners, and anyone curious about how AI is shaping library work and services. No technical background needed.

This is a live, online 1-hour event. Attendance is not required. The recording and the slide deck will be released immediately to registrants for unlimited post-event viewing.

DATE:

• Tuesday, February 17th, 2026, from 12:00 - 1:00 PM US - Eastern Time
  

COST:

• Free

TO REGISTER:

• Click HERE to register and fill out an optional short survey (we hope you will!) . 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.

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

CRYSTAL TRICE

With over two decades of experience in libraries and education, Crystal Trice is passionate about helping people work together more effectively in transformative, but practical ways. As founder of Scissors & Glue, LLC, Crystal partners with libraries and schools to bring positive changes through interactive training and hands-on workshops. She is a Certified Scrum Master and has completed a Masters Degree in Library & Information Science, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. She is a frequent national presenter on topics ranging from project management to conflict resolution to artificial intelligence. She currently resides near Portland, Oregon, with her extraordinary husband, fuzzy cows, goofy geese, and noisy chickens. Crystal enjoys fine-tip Sharpies, multi-colored Flair pens, blue painters tape, and as many sticky notes as she can get her hands on.

 

 

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:

 February 12, 2026

 February 13, 2026

 February 19, 2026

 February 20, 2026

 February 26, 2026

 February 27, 2026

 Starts March 4, 2026

New Webinar: "Patron Service Challenges: Using Roleplay Scenarios to Build Better Responses"

Patron Service Challenges:
Using Roleplay Scenarios to Build Better Responses
Part of the Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security Series with Dr. Steve Albrecht

OVERVIEW: 

Dealing with challenging patrons in the library workspace often varies along two points: the nature of the encounter with the patron, and the communication and de-escalation skills of the library staff member handling the situation. Experience matters, and so does having several tools in our tool kit. Saying “Calm down!” to someone who is not calm never works and failing to set behavioral boundaries with certain patrons just leads to more problems then and upon their next return to the library.

A useful way to build confidence with staff and give them what they need to think fast and on their feet is by using roleplay scenarios, done in small groups, often as part of a staff meeting exercise. This webinar provides 25 different roleplay scenarios (also included as a PDF handout with the slides) developed by librarians from real-time situations, in libraries across the country, and curated by Dr. Steve Albrecht, as part of his training workshops.

In this program, Steve will discuss each patron behavior scenario and give some tips on how to manage it. Back at the library, staff members can each play the part of either the patron or the employee, act out the issues at hand, use the best communication, de-escalation, and compliance tools, and then get feedback from their peers.

This scenario collection can be customized and finetuned to match the work culture and the community of patrons the library serves. Plus, they can be used during staff meetings throughout the year, as reminders and for new employees. Working in small groups minimizes the impact of peer pressure and makes it easier for employees to feel more confident once they face the real issues on the library floor.

LEARNING AGENDA: 

• Discuss the roleplay process in the staff meeting environment and how to keep staff in their comfort zones as either extroverts or introverts.
• Review 25 different patron behavior situations, develop potential answers, and create workable realistic solutions.
• Discuss the challenges faced when patrons argue, disagree with rules, policies, and the Code of Conduct, and develop methods to get to a “Negotiated Behavioral Agreement.”
• The 25 scenarios include patrons angry about how they were treated; teenage patrons; inappropriate Internet use; bullying patrons; children left alone; patrons with mental health issues; covert panhandling; staring, vaping, and sleeping.
  

DATE: Thursday, February 26, 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 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 thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons.

He has written 27 books, including: Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities (ALA, 2015); The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023); The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping it Real, Legal, and Ethical (Rowman & Littlefield, May 2025); and The Library Leader's Guide to Employee Coaching: Building a Performance Culture One Meeting at a Time (Rowman & Littlefield, June 2026).

Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment.
He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with seven dogs and two cats.

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:

 February 12, 2026

 February 13, 2026

 February 19, 2026

 February 20, 2026

 February 27, 2026

 Starts March 4, 2026