Metadata (data that defines and describes information resources) has been used by human beings for information retrieval for millenia. As our information recording technologies mature–from ancient cuneiform tablets to scrolls of paper, to cabinets of catalog cards to relational databases and semantic web data–individuals, libraries, museums, archives, and corporations strive to advance knowledge, streamline workflows, and improve efficiency. Each technological advance represents possibilities for improvement, limitations on those improvements, and ethical and practical pitfalls where sacrifices must be weighed against benefits.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence represent very new advances in information technology. Information professionals must understand enough about how these technologies work in order to make the best decisions for the advancement of human knowledge. 

An expert panel including Morag Boyd, Charlene Chou, Jeremy Nelson, Philippe Saadé, Osma Suominen, Denny Vrandečić, and Crystal Yragui will join CALMA on Friday, May 22, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. PT to discuss how libraries, library vendors, and open knowledge projects are approaching machine learning and AI in their metadata work. After answering questions about the possibilities, benefits, drawbacks, limitations and ethical implications of machine learning and AI in their work, panelists will take questions from attendees.

This session will be recorded and sent to attendees after the event.

Have a question you want to submit in advance? Email Crystal Yragui (cec23@uw.edu)

This event is part of CALMA’s Careers, Cataloging, Climate: AI + LAMs series.

Panelists

Morag Boyd is the Director of Metadata Applications and Engagement at OCLC, where Morag works with libraries to create tools that make WorldCat data easier to use and share. With a passion for helping libraries connect their communities to information, Morag focuses on practical solutions for description and management of library resources. Before joining OCLC, Morag spent more than 20 years in academic libraries, starting as a project cataloger and later serving as Acquisitions and Discovery Strategist at The Ohio State University Libraries. 

Charlene Chou is the Head of the Knowledge Access Department at New York University Libraries, where she oversees cataloging and metadata services. She has contributed to national and international metadata standards through active service on various committees, including the PCC (Program for Cooperative Cataloging) Policy Committee and the Joint RDA Board and RSC Working Group on Artificial Intelligence. She is committed to leading pilot projects on emerging trends and technologies.

Jeremy Nelson is a software developer at Stanford University Libraries. He is currently technical lead for the Blue Core project and as technical lead for the LD4P Sinopia linked-data editor. He is part of the team at Stanford that is responsible for the deployment and support of FOLIO and involved in developing AI enhancements to FOLIO workflows. He is co-chair of the ai4lam Metadata Working Group and co-convenor of the FOLIO AI/ML Special Interest Group.

Philippe Saadé is an AI/ML Project Manager at Wikimedia Deutschland, where he focuses on integrating vector embeddings and AI technologies into Wikidata. With a background in Computer Science and a specialization in Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing from the Technical University of Munich, he works at the intersection of linked open data and AI.

Osma Suominen is an Information Systems Specialist at the National Library of Finland.

Denny Vrandečić is the Head of Special Projects at the Wikimedia Foundation.

Crystal Yragui (moderator) is a Science Cataloger at the University of Washington Libraries, and Guest Faculty teaching Catalogs, Cataloging, and Classification at the iSchool. She Co-chairs the PCC Identity Management Advisory Committee and the Homosaurus Collective’s Implementation Board. She serves on the IFLA Bibliographic Conceptual Models Review Group, and Co-coordinates the LD4 Wikidata Affinity Group. Crystal’s work is at the intersection of library metadata creation and design, linked open data, and library entity management.