Session descriptions

Keynote: Beyond the books: Librarians as key partners in the AI-enhanced research and education

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of research and education, librarians are once again challenged to extend their role beyond traditional realms. This session will discuss the recent pivotal changes and development in this area and how librarians can proactively equip themselves to effectively identify new opportunities and make meaningful contributions to the communities they serve.
The session will specifically explore key topics, backed by examples and case studies, including:
– The utilization of AI-powered literature search tools and how librarians can effectively leverage them to engage researchers.
– Innovative AI-related services that libraries can provide to enhance their support in the academic environment
Additionally, the discussion will address both challenges and opportunities, such as navigating digital literacy, ethical considerations, data privacy concerns, and the evolving role of librarians in this new landscape.

Speaker: Bella Ratmelia, data services librarian, Singapore Management University libraries

Navigating OpenAthens configurations: From simple to more challenging scenarios

In most cases, setting up your library’s subscribed resources to work with OpenAthens is a breeze. Hundreds are listed in the Resource Catalogue, so all you need to do is provide your federation identifiers to the provider. SAML resources not in the Catalogue are also relatively straightforward. Things can get tricky when resources do not yet support SAML. OpenAthens provides a managed proxy service for such cases, but the effort required will vary. The speakers will share their experiences of implementing OpenAthens as an authentication solution.

Roundtable discussion: Balancing AI innovation and library ethics

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in learning and research has built up momentum over the years. But what impact is it having on our community and what are the opportunities and potential threats for librarians, publishers, students and researchers?
This panel debate will discuss making the most of AI while considering potential risks. We’ll also discuss the balancing of values relating to AI, ethics, skills, ways of working and what may become the future.

Community survey: What we found and how you can get involved

In October last year we ran a survey to find out what our customers and future customers want from the OpenAthens Community. In this session we will share the survey results, outline how we’re developing our community offer and how you can get involved.

Elevating patron access: Our journey with OpenAthens and Libkey Nomad at Swinburne Library

Anton Proppe and Kathryn Duncan share their experiences and insights gained from implementing OpenAthens at Swinburne University of Technology. As service business owner and project manager, Anton and Kathryn played pivotal roles in the 2022 implementation and administration of OpenAthens at Swinburne Library. During this session, they’ll walk you through how this initiative has reshaped access for library patrons, making it efficient and secure through OpenAthens single sign-on. Additionally, they’ll delve into a recent integration of Libkey Nomad, which has improved the overall access experience for patrons by streamlining the pathway to subscribed and open access online resources.