UKeiG CPD - Artificial Intelligence - core concepts for librarians, information and knowledge professionals
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24 September 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm
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Community
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EVT-10104
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Active
The UK electronic information Group (UKeiG) is pleased to announce a repeat of its popular half-day online CPD course - ‘Artificial Intelligence - core concepts for librarians, information and knowledge professionals'
Overview
AI has provided daily news headlines, sparking curiosity but also uncertainty, even anxiety. There is hype, but also hope.
This three-hour course seeks to inform delegates about the nature of AI and will help you get to grips with how to use it responsibly in your organisation.
The course will consider different perspectives on what AI is and its ethical issues.
It will also give you an understanding of the underlying technologies. Through practical examples of what is ‘under the hood’ of an AI application we will give you a deeper understanding of how AI works.
It will introduce the main potential applications of AI in the library context.
The course also gives you an opportunity to think about how to take a more strategic approach to AI, to consider tactics that increase library AI capability to develop your own AI roadmap. We will reflect on the skills and vision needed to operate in the context of AI.
Who should attend?
This course is ideal for any library, information and knowledge professional interested in developing an understanding of AI as it applies to their work.
This course is complemented by 'Generative AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation for librarians, information and knowledge professionals' which focuses more on Generative AI, LLMs, RAG and AI literacies.
The course will enable you to:
Ø Understand the concept of AI and its responsible use in information service contexts
Ø Acquire an in-depth appreciation of AI technology
Ø Acquire a broad overview of standard AI methods and approaches
Ø Benefit from hands-on experience with some machine learning tools
Ø Understand the management issues with AI and potential tactics an information organisation can use to increase AI capability
Ø Build knowledge and confidence to go forward to learn more.
Topics covered include:
Ø Exploring definitions of AI, and how it might be applied to the work of information professionals
Ø Ethics of responsible AI
Ø Overview of machine learning approaches and typical machine learning workflows
Ø The fundamental concepts in machine learning using Jisc’s Explore AI toolset
Ø A hands-on demonstration exploring one of the most relevant machine learning methods (text classification), working through a set of Python scripts to give participants an insight into what’s involved in coding and data management for AI
Ø Developing a more strategic approach to AI as an organisation
Ø A discussion of the range of roles for information professionals in AI and the skills, values and vision needed
Ø Further reading and resources.
Course leaders
Andrew Cox is a senior lecturer at the School of Information, Journalism and Communication, University of Sheffield and author of his independently researched report - ‘The Impact of AI, machine learning, automation and robotics on the information profession’ - published by CILIP in 2020. It called for a ‘joined up and coherent response from information professionals, enabling us to maximise the benefits of AI, machine learning, automation and robotics for information users while mitigating the emerging risks.' He is convenor of the IFLA Special Interest Group on AI and a former chair of ASIS&T’s AI SIG. As well as author of many recent peer reviewed journal articles on AI and libraries, he is co-author of the 2025 book, AI for Knowledge, published by CRC press
Suvodeep Mazumdar is a senior lecturer in the Information School at the University of Sheffield. His primary research interest is Big Data Analytics and Crowdsourcing. He conducts inter-disciplinary research on highly engaging, interactive and visual mechanisms.
Pricing
UKeiG/CILIP members £50 + VAT
Non-members £80 +VAT
Employer Partner staff £64 + VAT (Please contact your rep or email employerpartners@cilip.org.uk forthe discount code)