TL;DR version: if you would rather read my latest book, Triptych, without the distraction of AI, then I have put out a new AI Free version. You can buy the new edition on Amazon. The content is the same, save for illustrations and AI generated discussion questions. New cover is from licensed stock art. The content is virtually identical in other ways (with a few edits made).
The first published version of Triptych used artificial intelligence to create images and a series of conversation starters used at the end of each lecture. As I stated in that version:
“I take my responsibility as an author and as a scholar seriously. That means having full ownership of the text and in writing from a place of experience… For me it [AI] is a tool and one I feel I need to use to better understand and write about. That said, I very much look to engage in a conversation about AI, the mission of librarians, and its impact in society.”
And a conversation was indeed had. Several reviewers and people I respect pointed out a key problem with including some AI-generated material in the book: it introduces a sort of fatigue when engaging the text. While a reader wants to be engaging the ideas, the even peripheral use of AI adds a sort of lingering doubt. Is what I am reading written by AI?
Join CILIPS for a special event taking place in Edinburgh, delivered in partnership with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), where we are delighted to welcome Professor R. David Lankes for a one hour lecture in the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. The lecture will begin at 11am and finish at 12pm, please ensure that you arrive promptly and take your seat before the lecture begins.
“Death, AI, and Librarianship” Plenary. 23º Seminário Nacional de Bibliotecas Universitárias. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract: Em uma era marcada pelo isolamento social, desinformação e crescente desesperança, bibliotecários de todos os tipos devem evoluir de prestadores de serviço passivos para agentes ativos de resiliência comunitária e infraestrutura que salva vidas. Esta palestra desafia as definições tradicionais da Biblioteconomia, defendendo um modelo mais inclusivo e adaptável, que valorize missão, valores e engajamento comunitário acima de credenciais formais. Ao abraçar a alegria, o uso ético da IA e as narrativas locais, os bibliotecários podem fomentar a confiança, empoderar comunidades e liderar mudanças transformadoras em um mundo fragmentado.
Back in 2015 I had an Expect More World Tour. I was fortunate to be invited to talk about New Librarianship in countries like the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Well, new book, new opportunities. I’m off to Brazil next week and things are in the works for the UK and Europe in the Spring. As always I’ll post materials from the visits, and let me know if you have an opportunity to go abroad and say hi.
“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.
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.
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.
