Upgrade: Enhancing Library Technology Services with Technology 2025 Conference<https://ischool.wisc.edu/continuing-education/upgrade/> October 6-7, 2025 Hybrid Conference $150-$350 Join us for the inaugural Upgrade: Enhancing Library Services with Technology Conference as we explore the intersection of libraries and technology. Hear from leading experts, share best practices, and network with peers. This conference will include topics such as artificial intelligence applications in libraries, best practices for digital collections, and approaches to library instruction and patron engagement. The conference will kick off with keynote Dr. Brandy McNeil, President of the Public Library Association and a nationally recognized leader in digital equity and public library innovation. As Deputy Director of Branch Programs and Services at The New York Public Library, she has transformed access to technology, knowledge, and opportunity across the system’s 89 branches. The conference will close out with Dr. Alex Hanna, Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR)<https://www.dair-institute.org/>. A sociologist by training, her work centers on the data used in new computational technologies, and the ways in which these data exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She will share insights from her new book co-authored with Dr. Emily M. Bender, The AI Con<https://twitter.com/alexhanna/status/1758145788432236575>. Pre-Conference Workshop OpenAI? Open Pedagogy: How to Keep Humanity in Higher Ed<https://ischool.wisc.edu/continuing-education/upgrade/workshop/?elqTrackId=A16072023230F229FF845ACE26D4F21D&elqTrack=true> October 5,1:00-4:30 PM CS, In-Person Workshop | $125 What impacts will emerging AI tools have on student critical thinking? How should teachers and libraries respond? And how do we include students—meaningfully—in this process? Today’s students’ experience of going through college and entering the workforce will look so much different from our own. So, we will need to trust them in new ways to make sure the future of Education is both effective and in their best interest. In this workshop we will unpack, discuss, and explore the state of the research on AI and learning. Then we will leverage this research to create, revise, practice, recommend, and critique ways to center students in our teaching and service. Add the workshop as part of your conference registration! Quick Links * View the full conference schedule<https://upgrade2025.sched.com/?elqTrackId=2150DAD183FD09ED8A2720A7452B37F4&elqTrack=true> * View the virtual track schedule<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-qEmqrkVncVfNzIDP42LMdiwUzlQVbD2YP_pKrdopkY/edit?usp=sharing&elqTrackId=A09CFB5FA7D601851F4B3CB472ED8190&elqTrack=true> * Registration information<https://ischool.wisc.edu/continuing-education/upgrade/registration/?elqTrackId=6B54A96C701F231B3755E464057A1128&elqTrack=true> Questions? Email ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu