The Fentanyl Crisis In Our Libraries: Awareness and a Safe Response Part of the Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security / Safe Librarian Series with Dr. Steve Albrecht OVERVIEW:  Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate, is now the leading cause of death for adults 18 to 45 in this country. When it’s used--either by smoking it, injecting it, or consuming it in pill form--even a small amount causes respiratory failure and the person simply stops breathing. First responders and other concerned people who know how to use the Narcan nasal spray, can bring an overdosing person back to life, b ..read more

We've just posted a set of video resources by Dr. Steve Albrecht as part of our "The Safe Library" section of Library 2.0: "The Layla Videos: Learning More About Library Service, Safety, and Security From the Bestest Beagle Ever." From Dr. Steve: "I have the Sweetest Dog on Planet Earth, Layla - part Beagle, part Border Collie. I know you think your dog has already won that category, but sorry, mine has it wrapped up. "As such, I decided to share her intelligence and gorgeousness with the world, using our YouTube channel for The Safe Library. Every week, I post a short clip (two to thr ..read more

I'm working on a workshop or series of events related to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for personal and professional growth.  This is a quick survey--I hope you will consider responding! Survey results will be sent to those who reply and leave an email address (optional). Click here or below! Cheers, Steve Steve Hargadon steve@hargadon.com Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution / Future of AI   ..read more

We've just posted the lastest in a his interview series by Dr. Steve Albrecht in our "The Safe Library" section of Library 2.0: Molly Riportella on "Book Safes" for Domestic Survivors. "Molly Riportella has received national media coverage for her desire to help domestic survivors, like her, by cutting old library books into book safes, to hide cell phones for victims to use. Molly is the Head of Adult Services for the Westwood, MA Library. She can be reached at her advocacy site - www.BiblioUnderground.org which also includes a donation page." You can find links to watch or ..read more

The Safe Librarian Plan: 20 Core Principles for Your Personal Safety Plan Part of the Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security / Safe Librarian Series with Dr. Steve Albrecht OVERVIEW:  Our primary focus in our webinars, articles, podcasts, and interview is on helping you build, improve, and work in a safe library environment. In this special webinar, we’ll provide 20 tips, techniques, and ideas that you can use immediately to keep yourself, your facility, and/or your library staff safe at every level. They will work to help you or your staff to feel empowered, productive, ass ..read more

We've just posted the lastest in a new book interview series by Dr. Steve Albrecht in our "The Safe Library" section of Library 2.0: Kate Hall on The Public Library Director's HR Toolkit. "Kate Hall is the Executive Director of the Northbrook, IL Library. She is the co-author, with Kathy Parker, of The Public Library Director's HR Toolkit (ALA, 2022)." You can find links to watch or listen to the whole interview here.  Dr. Albrecht's twice-monthly Library 2.0 podcasts, interviews, and blog posts are available for free, as are: access to 52,000+ other lib ..read more

Our first Library 2.024 mini-conference: "AI and Libraries: Applications, Implications, and Possibilities," will be held online (and for free) on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, from 12:00 - 3:00 pm US-Pacific Time. Our conference schedule is now posted (see below). And don't forget that we've added a second day of presentations ("AI and Libraries - Part II") on April 18th since we received so many good proposals (also listed below). We currently have over 9,500 registrations. CONFERENCE OVERVIEW: How has artificial intelligence impacted library services, resources, and work so far? How have ..read more

Managing Stress in the Library: Strategies for Library Workers A Masterclass with Loida Garcia-Febo The Library 2.0 Mental Health and Wellness Series OVERVIEW Library workers often face a variety of stressors such as tight deadlines, high workloads, and other challenges related to providing access to information and services. It is of utmost importance to provide support and strategies to manage stress in the workplace. If these stressors increase, the well-being and effectiveness of the library workers can be seriously affected, which impacts the organization as well. When we implement stres ..read more

Cybersecurity: Fortifying Your Library in the Digital Age Part of the Library 2.0 Service, Safety, and Security / Essential Librarian Series with Brian Pichman, hosted by Dr. Steve Albrecht OVERVIEW:  In an increasingly digital world, libraries are not just sanctuaries of knowledge but also gatekeepers of vast amounts of digital information and personal data. This presentation by Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project delves into the critical realm of cybersecurity within our libraries. Designed to cater to librarians of all technical backgrounds, this session aims to demystify cy ..read more

WEEKLY SUMMARY This email newsletter is a summary of the news and views published this past week at FutureofAI.org. News and views are brought to you by Library 2.0 and Learning Revolution. Submit stories or articles you think we should highlight to admin@futureofai.org.  Links do not necessarily indicate agreement with stories or perspectives. GENERAL: ChatGPT Can Get Off My Lawn Anti-Piracy Group Takes Massive AI Training Dataset 'Books3′ Offline Google launches two new open LLMs Yes, AIs ‘understand’ things Tumblr and Wordpress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools I Wrote What ..read more