Barbrow, Bloch-Winkler, Hilliker, Varnum, and Wallace "NISO Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) Webinar: Effect of Generative AI on Library Discovery"

This presentation was given by Ken Varnum and Sarah Barbrow of the University of Michigan, Sima Bloch-Winkler of Ex Libris, Robert Hilliker of Springer Nature, and Alfred Wallace of Iowa State University for the "NISO Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) Webinar: Effect of Generative AI on Library Discovery." This event was the first of a three-series public webinar, held on September 8, 2026.

Transcript

1. NISO Open Discovery Initiative Transparency in AI Panel Series Panel 1: The Effect of GenAI on Library Discovery 8 September 2026 Moderator Ken Varnum Panelists Sarah Barbrow, Sima Bloch-Winkler, Robert Hilliker, and Alfred Wallace NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
2. Welcome! 1. Overview of the NISO Open Discovery Initiative 2. Panelist presentations 3. Discussion 4. Upcoming panels NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 1
3. About the NISO Open Discovery Initiative Has its roots in the emergence of web-scale discovery c. 2010 • Fosters transparency and clarity among libraries, content providers, and discovery services • Describes minimum metadata to ensure discovery and access • New opportunities are emerging to enhance understanding of how Generative AI is being used in the web-scale discovery ecosystem • NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 2
4. Each Party Has Responsibilities to the Others Discovery Providers Content Providers Libraries NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 3
5. Logistics Audience members microphones and cameras are muted • Use chat for in-audience discussion • Use Q&A to pose questions of the panelists • Upvote questions you’re interested in • Recording will be made available within next 72 hours • Slides are available now • NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 4
6. Today’s Panel Sarah Barbrow / University of Michigan Sima Bloch-Winkler / Clarivate Robert Hilliker / Springer Nature Alfred Wallace / Iowa State University NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 5
7. Sarah Barbrow she | her sbarbrow@umich.edu Assistant Director, Engineering Library NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
8. Our main issue: Library instructors were overwhelmed by GenAI. NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
9. In the 2025-2026 academic year the University of Michigan (U-M) Library offered 1,277 instruction sessions reaching an audience of more than 30,000 students, faculty, staff, and community members. NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
10. Not every patron needs the same thing • • Requests for instruction and consultation about GenAI have been growing over time Patrons have diverse contexts ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Early undergraduates Advanced undergraduates Graduate students Health, business, law, and other academic / professional schools NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
11. The technology keeps changing… argh! • • • • GenAI is constantly popping up in new places Technical capabilities increase over time Since November 2022: not easy for busy library instructors to keep up With increasing (real or perceived or anticipated) numbers of requests → people were overwhelmed NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
12. So, how does a large academic library provide the right resources for its library instructor community to reduce anxiety and to enable instructors to be more prepared on an ongoing basis? NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
13. Introducing the GenAI Instruction Team • • • Co-chaired by Sarah Barbrow & Jeremy York (Copyright Librarian) Starting our 3rd year 6-12 members NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
14. We build for instructors, not (directly) for patrons We create and develop resources for library instructors • • • Designed to build expertise and understanding Focus is not on making resources for library instructors to use with patrons directly (slide decks, lesson plans, etc.) Resources allow the library instructor to learn and then be able to make their own patron facing resources needed for their context NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
15. How we build (the right) things Create initial drafts Assess needs Revise & communicate Host conversations & ask for feedback Share “finished” drafts NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
16. We have had some success! Why? (Part I) We think a lot about this… We: • Stay focused on our charge and goals • Include a range of people on the committee • Understand the huge range of feelings about GenAI • Commit to producing work regularly • Iterate relentlessly • Recognize that learners must do work • Communicate regularly with sponsors • Celebrate, acknowledge, and release people NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
17. We have had some success! Why? (Part II) Library leadership prioritizes this work, so we are able to dedicate and devote enormous amounts of time to this team. NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
18. We learned that: The resources are helpful, but conversations are key for real learning. NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
19. We also learned that: Whether opinions and feelings are acknowledged or not, they exist. And, those opinions and feelings impact whether, how, and what people learn about GenAI. NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
20. This work is not without challenges: • • • • • Managing scope creep Accomplishing anything on this enormous topic Keeping our work organized Mitigating team member fatigue Balancing opportunities for campus engagement about GenAI NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
21. Feel empowered to find and use our work! LibGuide: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/genai-library-instruction • • • • • • Remember: conversations were crucial Remember: resources support what our community needed at the time *New* Canvas Module Not everything is listed on our LibGuide about GenAI & Library Note the Learning Objectives document Research (for undergrads) Note the Feedback Form More feedback? Feel free to get in touch: sbarbrow@umich.edu NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI
22. This approach has worked for us (so far) at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Library. If you would like to talk more, I’m happy to be in touch! NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI Photo credits: Jamie Niehoff
23. Lead Product Manager, Clarivate NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 22
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35. Robert Hilliker he/him|il/lui robert.hilliker@springernature.com Director of Library Relations, North America Springer Nature NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 34
36. SPRINGER NATURE RESPONSIBLE AI PRINCIPLES How do we keep human values at the center of our work? DIGNITY “We prioritize human well-being and dignity and take steps to prevent harm to society and the environment” EQUITY “We mitigate the potential for structural bias and inequities” Image Credit: Annie Easley by NASA ACCOUNTABILITY “We maintain human oversight of the development and outcomes generated by our AI tools and solutions” *Source: AI Approach & Principles | Springer Nature TRANSPARENCY “We explain the use of AI in our processes in accessible language and add disclosure statements as appropriate” PRIVACY “We ensure that we treat the personal information shared with us in a way that safeguards privacy.”
37. TRUST IS A CRITICAL ISSUE IN AI-ENABLED DISCOVERY Librarians and Publishers Have a Shared Interest in Ensuring Content is Reliable, Credible, and Visible Generative AI is driving a generational change in how people find information—we need to adapt to ensure our content not only remains visible, but also traceable and verifiable. This requires broad, multi-stakeholder collaboration to develop standards: Trust Marker working group approved April 2026 Content Credentials launched in October 2023 by the C2PA *Source: Peter Gluckman, "Why science must reinforce its social contract." Contributing to Journal Trust Markers project in collaboration with scholarly publishers* 36
38. AI FOR SCIENCE REPORT – Part 1, State of AI Use among Researchers Nature Research Intelligence in partnership with Fudan University and Shanghai Academy of AI for Science 37
39. AI FOR SCIENCE REPORT – Part 1, State of AI Use among Researchers Nature Research Intelligence in partnership with Fudan University and Shanghai Academy of AI for Science 38
40. SPRINGER NATURE APPROACH TO AI-ENABLED DISCOVERY Building Tools to Advance Research Researcher-focused development process • Direct community engagement drives development • User testing to confirm utility before broader launch Focus on scalable, sustainable, equitable approaches • Broadening access and supporting adaptation for diverse audiences • Only pursuing partnerships that adhere to our AI principles Standards and policies guide our work • Springer Nature AI Principles • COPE guidelines, NISO standards and best practices, focus on high-quality data and metadata
41. SPRINGER BOOKS VIDEO SUMMARY An Author-Facing Tool to Support Promotion of New Releases VIDEO SUMMARY TOOL • Full launch in August 2026 • Provides authors a lay-reader summary of their book • Encourages personalization to maintain their authorial voice • Generates a short video with the author’s own voice • Supports multi-platform social sharing of their video 40
42. NATURE RESEARCH ASSISTANT (BETA) A Researcher-facing Platform for Reading, Writing, and Discovery MANUSCRIPT ADVISER • Provides tailored advice • Reviews technical details • Locates additional papers to consider for the literature review READING ASSISTANT • Summaries and “Chat with Paper” feature • Figure walkthrough with audio descriptions • Related research discovery 41
43. RESEARCH IMPACT NARRATIVES (ALPHA) Getting Beyond Citations to Understand How Research Changes Lives IMPACT NARRATIVE TOOL • In transition from alpha to beta phase • Starts from a single DOI or a collection of DOIs (such as a set of papers funded by a single grant) • Leverages AI to rapidly integrate multiple data sources, including citation networks, policy documents, and patents • Shifts focus from publication metrics to broader societal impacts “an AI-generated tool which turns complex, interconnected research data into clear, evidence-based stories of societal influence” 42
44. Robert Hilliker Director, Library Relations (North America) THANK YOU! https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1729-0222 robert.hilliker@springernature.com
45. Alfred Wallace he | his alfredhw@iastate.edu AI Instruction Librarian Iowa State University NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 44
46. Agentic Search and the Role of the Library Alfred Wallace AI Instruction Librarian Iowa State University
47. Parts of an Agentic System The Model • Skills • Tools • MCP servers (APIs) • Zotero, Obsidian, etc. • • Context 46
48. Parts of the Library Collections and Electronic Services Catalog access • Consensus, Scite • Reference and Instruction Skill development • Open tool development • • • OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar Zotero (etc.) integrations 47
50. Challenges Keeping up and experimenting • You (yes you) are a developer now • • …or are you? 49
51. Contact me alfredhw@iastate.edu www.linkedin.com/in/alfredhwallace A sample agentic session 50
52. Discussion • Use the Zoom Q&A button to pose questions • Upvote the questions you’re most interested in NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 51
53. Upcoming Presentations in Series Dates to be announced October: Is there AI in my Search Results, and Why Should I Care? November: AI and the Future of Academic Libraries: Understanding the Current Situation December: AI and the Future of Academic Libraries: Building Sustainable and Relevant Libraries January: Building Sustainable and Relevant Libraries NISO Open Discovery Initiative – Promoting Transparency in Discovery @NISO_ODI 52