Published: July 25, 2025 by Charlene Hardin

The American Library Association’s 2025 Annual Conference was my first in-person experience attending a library conference and my introduction to ALA. I am grateful to San José State University for sending me to Philadelphia to expand my horizons from the virtual worlds I have been using to an in-person experience.

Thanks to the travel grant, I had the unique opportunity to present in both virtual reality, through FrameVR, and in person at the San José State University networking and poster session, which afforded me the chance to meet familiar faces I’d only seen on a Zoom screen. I enjoyed this blend of experiences, and it was great to be back in Philadelphia. Decades have passed since my last visit, and a lot has changed. However, staying in the historic district allowed me to soak up some of our nation’s history when I wasn’t attending the conference. Massive evolutions have taken place in the library – just as the city and country have changed, so too has a library. It was exciting to see how technology, including AI and virtual reality, is impacting the library and changing what it means to be an information science professional.

The intersection between usability and user experience, technology, and the library fascinates me. As a result, most of my time was spent attending panels and visiting booths that were most closely connected to technological advancements. It was thrilling to see how robotics, automation, AI, and virtual reality can come together to improve our management of collections, our community’s experiences, and the metrics we use to understand the flow of traffic in our libraries and the success of our programs. 

A presentation and panel that I found particularly impactful was “Claim the Center: Libraries, AI, and the Future of Learning and Work,” presented by Michael Hanegan and Chris M. Rosser. I was interested in their frameworks for understanding the role of libraries and their standing as a stabilizing force in rapidly moving technology and the humans tasked with its adoption. These frameworks included exercising agency (personal, institutional, and ecosystem), AI as a metaliteracy, the seven frames of AI literacy, and others, which compelled me to purchase their book. They allow librarians to understand their role, engage in sense-making, and integrate these new technologies into their daily work. They emphasized the importance of libraries in helping people adapt to a world where they regularly collaborate with advanced machines.

I also got to meet San José State University’s adorable little robot, but I was also able to encounter robots from Bibliotheca and Seaever. These intelligent robots had capabilities that allowed them to work with the collection and act as a way finder. Additionally, other technological solutions that enable the devices to be checked out, such as VR headsets and laptops, can be implemented in a way that manages the devices while alleviating some of the strain on staff time. 

The robots from Bibliotheca and Seaever each had unique features. In one case, a robot was designed to assist with wayfinding, act as a mobile catalog, and even check in or check out books. The other served as an automated means of checking the shelves to determine inventory in a way that would be impossible with just human workers. Seaever had some enjoyable talking portraits enabled with AI, allowing patrons to chat with literary characters and historical figures (even if it was a little hard for the AI and me to hear each other in the busy exhibit hall). I saw how these elements of automation could assist libraries and their staff in performing more creative tasks and serving the public more directly with a human touch that a robot can never give. All while ensuring that the collection that appears in the catalog matches the collection that is actually on the shelves. These innovations also allow librarians and library assistants to spend more time planning programs and being deliberate about they’re weeding of books. 

Rather than replacing librarians and library staff, these automated and intelligent tools act as a force multiplier. They allow existing staff to focus on the human element, freeing them from mundane and repetitive tasks. Of course, humans still need to be in the loop to verify the work of these machines. However, the presence of these machines could be a great benefit to most libraries by augmenting services in innovative and productive ways.

Beyond meeting SJSU’s robot, I also had the opportunity to experience some technologies I hadn’t encountered before while at the SJSU booth. These include the HoloLens and the Apple Vision Pro. It was inspiring to see that San José State University was so forward-thinking and leading the way on the technological advancements making their way into the library of the future. 

Learning more about extended reality and its relationship to AI is very helpful in informing my contribution to my current employer, Scottsdale Public Library, as they implement plans to create a functional maker space that incorporates extended reality as part of the space, by attending presentations such as Beryl D. White’s “Beyond the Books: Virtual Reality in Academic Libraries” and speaking with some of the other guests who had practical experience with various devices. Through these interactions, I now have more ideas about what successful implementation in my library might look like, including common workarounds and popular tools used by academic and public librarians to enrich the experiences of their populations.

Standard library business aside, I took advantage of the GamerRT game night experience, which showcased a wide variety of board, RPG, and card games. Taking time for fun allowed me to mingle with other librarians while playing a game very similar to Werewolf and testing a new word game with the game’s creator. Cards Against Humanity also generously supplied all of us with their latest game, Contact, and had some playtesting of their own to participate in near their table.

The conference has ended this year, but I hope to attend many more conferences during my time at San José State University, both as a presenter and an attendee. Meeting people face-to-face, trying new technologies in the wild, and presenting topics I’m passionate about (like instructional design and virtual or immersive experiences) exponentially add to my student experience. If you are interested, I recommend applying for a travel grant, getting out there, and going to see these new horizons in person. Safe travels!

Editor’s Note: The SJSU iSchool highly encourages students to attend professional conferences but also realizes that it can be cost prohibitive. Travel grants are available to eligible students to help lessen the financial burden and increase conference participation. iSchool student Charlene Hardin received one of these travel grants.