Using consumer AI tools for audio collection metadata

Ken Axford and Hope Dunbar write: “When faced with over 2,000 hours of historical radio recordings from the former campus station WBFO, the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) Archives team knew that manually creating descriptive metadata would be prohibitively time-intensive. The solution? Leveraging consumer-level artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT Pro and Microsoft 365 Copilot to generate program descriptions from audio transcripts. Despite some limitations, the AI-assisted metadata creation significantly reduced processing time for the WBFO collection. A hybrid approach—AI generation followed by human verification—proved both efficient and reliable.”

Society of American Archivists BloggERS!, Aug. 20

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Jessica Brownley writes: “January can feel especially long. Short daylight hours, gray skies, and bitter cold make it harder to stay energized, even as our work continues at full speed. After the whirlwind of holiday programs, many librarians face a ‘winter slump,’ when both physical and emotional energy feel in short supply. But self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Small, intentional strategies can help you stay steady, healthy, and energized—even during the darkest months of the year.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 7
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Dan Montgomery writes: “By now, you’ve likely heard of ALA Forward, the initiative that has resulted from more than a year’s worth of conversations and focus groups among members, leaders, staff, and affiliated folks, and has set a course for reinvigorating ALA with a clearer strategic vision and a defined process to realize that vision. As I write this, still in my early weeks at the Association, I’ve been asked often about my own priorities for ALA. Well, my primary goal is this: to support us in achieving the vision outlined in the ALA Forward initiative. This includes ensuring ALA’s financial stability, fostering membership trust and growth, and bolstering advocacy.

American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
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Sallyann Price writes: “Every year, United for Libraries Virtual brings together trustees, foundation and Friends members, and those who work with them for a virtual conference to discuss the library advocacy landscape. It’s also a space to brainstorm practical solutions for rallying communities around key issues, such as intellectual freedom, equitable access, and sustainable business practices that contribute to a vibrant, sturdy future. Many sessions at the most recent event focused on cultivating the library advocate, from preparing trustees to lead and communicating impact to funders to shaping the public narrative about why the library matters.”

American Libraries feature, Jan./Feb.
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Caelin Ross writes: “Belonging is often described as a feeling—something we either experience or lack, as if it is found by chance rather than actively created. But belonging is built through care, attention, and the often-invisible work of those who make room for others. Moments of transition make that labor visible, inviting us to pause and give flowers thoughtfully while we can. This piece is a reflection on what it means to build belonging through librarianship, and on the communities and colleagues who make that work possible.”

ACRLog, Dec. 19
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Hana Lee Goldin writes: “Recently, a client sent me their ‘thoroughly researched’ white paper on workplace automation. It had 47 citations. Looked bulletproof. Every claim backed by a study, every statistic sourced to a journal. I was impressed for exactly three minutes. Of those 47 citations, 31 were what we call ‘hallucinations.’ Real academic citations are messy. Artificial intelligence (AI) citations are suspiciously convenient. They appear right when you need them, saying exactly what you need them to say. In library school, they taught us something called ‘citation chaining,’ but I’ve adapted it for the age of AI hallucinations.”

LLRX, Dec. 30
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ALA’s Public Programs Office, in collaboration with The Pulitzer Prizes, invites public libraries to apply to host Pulitzer on the Road: Prize-Winning Works that Inform, Empower & Inspire, a new traveling exhibit that highlights the cultural legacy of The Pulitzer Prizes. Eighteen public libraries will be selected to host the traveling exhibit for a six-week period in 2027 and 2028. Read the project guidelines and apply online by March 27.

ALA Public Programs Office, Jan. 5
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Jenny Arch writes: “Sometimes being a children’s librarian looks like reading books at storytime, blowing bubbles for babies, and putting out fresh coloring sheets. And sometimes, it looks like listening as people tell you about a family dog who’s approaching death, or a new pregnancy that means a child is about to become a sibling, or an upcoming move out of state, or an impending divorce. ‘Do you have a book about that?’ they’ll ask, after revealing this big thing they’re facing, and yes, I do. Here are just a few books on some of these subjects.”

Jenny Arch, Dec. 22

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