We are so pleased to announce that the 2026 BCLA Year-End Keynote speaker is Avery Swartz – founder and CEO of Camp Tech.
Visit the Calendar Event for full details or go directly to our registration form.
Date: Wednesday, December 9th at 10:00am – 11:15am Pacific on Zoom
Title: What’s Ahead in AI: Signal, Noise and the Coming Year for Libraries
Description: Every few months brings a new wave of AI announcements, and it can feel like the ground shifts before you’ve had a chance to stand on it. This keynote takes a breath. Avery Swartz looks back at how AI has changed libraries over the past few years, separates the developments that mattered from the ones that didn’t, and offers her read on what’s coming in the year ahead. Expect a candid look at the hype cycle, a few predictions to keep an eye on, and a reminder that a library’s judgement about what serves its community is still the most valuable thing in the room.
Outcomes:
- Learn to tell the difference between a capability shift in AI and marketing noise
- Leave with a short list of things to watch in the year ahead, and the reasoning behind each
- Build confidence in evaluating your library’s AI use
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, which enables us to offer these events free of charge.
A Year-End Keynote speaker will present a webinar on a topic intended to inspire and challenge library workers in preparation of a new year. Recommendations for a presenter can be made by filling out our program suggestion form and for past events, visit our Recordings webpage.
A reminder that Zoom includes closed captioning and the Vimeo recordings include a transcript. Please contact Natalie Porter, BCLA Professional Development Coordinator if you have any further accessibility needs that will enable your attendance and enjoyment of this annual presentation.
Past Presenters
2025 - Nick Tanzi
Nick Tanzi – The Digital Librarian presented a talk called “Future-Ready Youth: Preparing our patrons to navigate the Age of AI” in 2025 for our Year-end Keynote available on Vimeo through our recordings page.
Description: Children and teens are often eager adopters of new technology, but access doesn’t always mean understanding. As we navigate the age of AI, important questions arise: How is artificial intelligence impacting our youth, and what does the future hold? More importantly, how can we, as library professionals, empower our patrons to understand and engage with this consequential technology?
2024 - R. David Lankes
R. David Lankes offered a presentation called Artificial Intelligence: why is it writing my term paper when it should be doing my laundry? David Lankes is a scholar, speaker, writer, teacher and advocate based out of the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information. He is recognized for his work on Artificial Intelligence and the essential role that librarians have in today’s society.
Description : AI seems to be everywhere with forecasts from dreams to despairs. How can the library profession respond, and even better, shape this emerging technology to benefit those we serve?
2023 - Karina Hagelin
In 2023, for our first event, Karina Hagelin (they/them) presented on Communities of Care: accessible libraries through trauma-informed frameworks and radical empathy, with themes of disability, accessibility, and the importance of collaboration and self-care.