University Libraries receives grant to create Generative Artificial Intelligence Incubator Program
University Libraries at Virginia Tech and the University of California, Riverside, received a $115,398 Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to create a generative artificial intelligence incubator program (GenAI) to increase the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the library profession and academic libraries.
The incubator program aims to train librarians in generative artificial intelligence skills to improve library services.
“Libraries should play a role in demystifying AI and guiding the public in its use,” said Yinlin Chen, assistant director for the Center for Digital Research and Scholarship in the University Libraries at Virginia Tech, who is the principal investigator and grant project director. “To achieve this, librarians need to learn GenAI and gain practical expertise by integrating it into their work, enabling them to serve their communities and meet diverse needs effectively”
Chen will use his expertise in advanced GenAI techniques and multidisciplinary AI research in his collaboration with Edward Fox, co-principal investigator and director of the digital library research laboratory at Virginia Tech and computer science professor, and Zhiwu Xie, co-principal investigator and assistant university librarian for research and technology at the University of California, Riverside, to create the generative artificial intelligence incubator program. They will build training materials, workshops, and projects to assist librarians in becoming AI practitioners.
Participants of the incubator program will learn the fundamentals of GenAI, advance their knowledge through guided demonstration and real-world examples, and then create a GenAI application for a library use case in either GenAI literacy, collection, preservation, or research. At the end of the program, participants will possess a deep understanding, practical expertise, and the ability to demonstrate the impact of AI in the global library community.
This fall, the team will create the project’s training materials and website and launch the pilot workshop in the spring.
“I’m passionate to see how libraries can leverage AI to enhance their services and impact and become advocates for AI-driven innovation within the library field,” said Chen.
