“Death, AI, and Librarianship” Keynote. Internet Librarian 2025 Conference
Abstract: In a time of rising social isolation, ideological division, and technological upheaval, libraries stand at a crossroads. Lankes shares thoughts from his new book and delivers a bold, urgent, and deeply human call to action for the library profession. From confronting the rise of book bans and the erosion of intellectual freedom to navigating the ethical minefields of AI, he explores the evolving identity of librarianship in the 21st century and champions the power of storytelling, the necessity of joy in the face of adversity, and the radical inclusion of “feral librarians”—those who enter the profession through unconventional paths but embody its deepest values.
00:00:01 Good morning. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Jane. I really appreciate the opportunity to come speak to you today. I am always thrilled to be part of this conference. It’s a great group of people getting to know them and working on a regular basis. So, without further ado, because hearing me mutter on is not necessarily that helpful, I’m going to do the infamous look at my slides for the next 45 minutes or so, and hopefully then we’ll have time for a conversation over on feed loops. So, let’s make sure everything is having a good moment. There we go.
As AI reshapes information access and discovery, libraries face critical choices about technology, equity, and community trust.
Join us for The AI Moment in Libraries: What It Means for Our Profession, a virtual panel exploring how libraries can navigate AI implementation while staying true to core values of access, privacy, and service to all communities.
Panelists:
Beth Patin (Moderator) – Associate Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University
Sanda Erdelez – Dean, School of Library and Information Science, Simmons University
Leo Lo – University Librarian and Dean of Libraries, University of Virginia
R. David Lankes – Virginia and Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship, School of Information Science, University of Texas at Austin
Jeff Saltz – Associate Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University
When: Tuesday, November 11, 12:00–1:00 PM Eastern Time
Where: Virtual via Zoom
This panel will feature an honest conversation about preparing librarians, serving patrons, and leading with ethics in an AI-integrated future.
I’ve updated the book page for my newest book, Triptych: Death, AI, and Librarianship. You can now download the PowerPoint slides for each lecture to use in professional development or your own presentations. I’ve also linked to the two excerpts of the book published in Library Journal.
“Building a Great Library,” Jesup Memorial Library, Bar Harbor, Me.
Abstract: Bad libraries focus on building collections, while good libraries provide services, including collections. Great libraries, however, are defined by their ability to build communities. These libraries serve as co-owned, community-centric spaces that focus on fostering learning, knowledge, and social connection. They are not neutral but are committed to the community’s well-being and growth. Ultimately, a great library’s narrative is shaped by the community it serves.
“Not Done Yet” Jesup Memorial Library, Bar Harbor, Me.
Abstract: In a talk about the evolving role of libraries, the speaker argues that they must shift from simply “serving” communities to actively “saving” them. This involves reimagining libraries not as static repositories of books, but as dynamic platforms that address community needs like literacy, digital access, and social connection. Drawing on examples from South Korea and Texas, the speaker illustrates how successful libraries are deeply ingrained in their communities, tackling issues like childhood literacy and social isolation. The core message is that libraries can, and should, play a critical role in increasing community well-being and literally lengthening lifespans by fostering connection and empowerment.
Google has added a new trick to NotebookLM. Now, you can not only make an audio podcast summary, it will create a video explainer. I tried it out on the text of me new book, and it is actually really good. Take a watch (it’s 8 minutes):
I am a huge fan of audio books. I eat through them on my daily commute. I also appreciate that many folks either want or need audio books to access content. So, I’ve just finished recording, editing, and submitting an audiobook version of Triptych. It should be available in a week or so, after it gets reviewed by Audible’s quality control process.
This is not the first time I’ve made an audio book version of my work. Both Boring Patient and Expect More (the first edition) are available in audio format. This is, however, teh first time I’ve had to think about AI and audio book production.
Triptych is published using Amazon’s KDP platform. When I uploaded an ebook version, Amazon asked if I wanted to make it an audio book. Yes, I said after hearing folks would be interested in one. Great, here’s a link to upload audio files, or find a voice talent to record it for you (normally for a percentage of sales)…or try our new beta of “virtual voice.”
Virtual voice? Yup, you guessed it, an AI produced audio version. You pick the “voice” and it makes the narration. You can even go in and edit the pronunciations. So in minutes, you have an audio book, with a nice little disclaimer about the use of AI.
I thought about it. My main goal with an audio book is to make it more accessible, particularly those who have trouble reading text. But, in the end, I thought I had already included as much AI in the book as I was comfortable with. Also, folks on Facebook said they wanted my voice.
So, down to the first floor of the iSchool I went to use one of two recording rooms we have set up.
While I sat in the small room reading text into my laptop (and marking all the edits I needed to make) next door Quinn was recording a screencast of a new software rollout. Quinn is the school’s long standing IT/instructional tech guru. He talked as a screen of the software in use was captured.
Screenshot of an Avatar sold by Synthesia
Here’s the big difference. One he was done he had AI create a transcript of his narration, fed that transcript into a new AI system that used it as a script to create a virtual avatar providing the blow-by-blow. When I messed up a line it was a process of editing and re-recording. Same for looking for breaths and bad pacing. He found an error, he just edited the text of the transcript, and the video avatar just re-rendered.
While folks asked for my voice, he wanted to use a voice without his Texas twang. Also, if he wanted it in Spanish, or French, of Japanese, that was a click away (BIG grain of salt on the effectiveness of AI language translation).
So folks wanted my voice, but did they care if it was really me in the recording room. There are services that will actually clone my voice and my image. When my wife asked me if I was OK to have some AI company have a copy of my voice (Little Mermaid anyone), my initial thought was no. Then I remembered the hundreds of hours of video presentations I have across the internet, it seems like they already had it if they wanted it.
Let me go back to my original reason for making the audio book. Accessibility and format preference for my readers. Does it matter that I sweated in a room with a microphone (foam walls and computer equipment in a small space equals hot)? Was it better to be able to quickly fix errors? Or was this another step in dehumanizing the connection between author and reader? Or professor and student? Are the audio equivalent of typos more desirable than listening to a soothing AI voice?
I don’t have a final great moral answer here. I will note, however, that all the books Amazon lists as using virtual voice are in the self-published genre…not a Steven King or John Scalzi to be found. Perhaps this is an option for the small fry author that simply can’t afford to have great voice talent enrich their book.
I have my choice – my voice and sweat instead of yet another AI coated bit of content. Still, I know me. I’m guessing a virtual Virtual Dave is coming so I can play and poke and try. Just not reading my book.
As part of the partnership with Library Journal in the publication of my new book, Triptych: Death, AI, and Librarianship, they are posting excerpts from the book. The first one is now online here. In the book it is titled TL;DR an Introduction.
As the title implies it is an encapsulation of the key themes of the book including libraries moving from serving to saving communities, the need to find joy in a time of hardship, AI, and the need for librarians with and without degrees.
In the coming weeks we’ll be posting additional content, and are planning webinars on these topics as well. Stay tuned.
