Southern Library Support Staff Conference 2026

Algorithms, Influence, and the Library’s New Role in the Age of AI - Charisse Brent
With this lightning talk presentation, I aim to explore how artificial intelligence has transformed propaganda from something visible and centralized into something invisible and personalized. What once appeared in posters or broadcasts now lives in algorithms that predict and manipulate human behavior—deciding what we see, believe, and even feel. This new wave of AI-driven propaganda thrives not on persuasion alone, but on precision—learning from our data, feeding our emotions, and shaping our worldviews without our awareness.
In this talk, I argue that libraries—long defenders of truth, access, and equity—stand at a critical crossroads. As AI becomes embedded in search systems, discovery tools, and metadata, libraries must evolve from being passive providers of information to active mediators of algorithmic influence. The presentation calls on librarians to champion algorithmic literacy, demand transparency in AI systems, and uphold human-centered ethics in technology use. Ultimately, it’s a call to action: in a world where machines increasingly shape what we know, libraries must lead the movement to ensure that knowledge remains a human right, not a data product.

From Archive to Algorithm: Turning Staff Expertise into AI Power - Jim Duran
Library special collections rely on experienced staff and so do effective AI tools. At the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, domain expertise from long-serving staff is helping shape smarter machine learning tools. This session highlights how staff knowledge is translated into AI applications that improve processing, cataloging, and research support.

Troubleshooting AI Requests for Interlibrary Loan - Amanda Hardin, Kathy Foushee
This presentation will focus on Western Kentucky University Libraries’ experience with incorrect citations created by AI and their effect on Interlibrary Loan requests. We will share our experience with actual AI created Interlibrary Loan requests and provide examples to assist others in identifying AI generated citations.

The Hiring and Motivation of Student Assistants - Pearl Chai

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In this talk, I will focus primarily on what I do to foster connections, establish relationships and build “community” with the students we are privileged to have working at our library. Even before the students are hired to work for us, I set out to make them feel motivated to work by mindfully remembering traits about them that stand out in the pre-hiring form and resume and working in these tidbits of information in my conversations with them. The aim here is to get a sense of each student as a person and to find out where they are “coming from.” This helps them to feel welcomed and acknowledged. Throughout the semester, I invest time in getting to know the students by checking in with them from time to time and enquiring about their general well-being. We have casual conversations about current events that occur both in their life and in the world at large. The EBL hosts a well-attended semester-end shindig twice a year, in November and April, to celebrate the hard work put in by everyone and to honor the graduating students. I check in with graduating students regarding their future plans and we make plans to keep in touch.

Reimagining Technology Lending: A Dual-Model Approach to Student Engagement and Access - Audrey Bentch; Rachel Oakley
This presentation explores an innovative redesign of academic library technology lending services that address critical access barriers while enhancing patron engagement. Through transformative leadership and strategic planning, our institution is implementing a dual-collection model that combines advance reservations with on-demand walk-in access. This session will demonstrate how this innovation reduces friction points in traditional technology lending, increases accessibility for last-minute needs (currently 1/3 of all requests), and creates opportunities for hands-on patron engagement with equipment. Attendees will learn practical strategies for streamlining technology services, empowering student staff through expanded leadership roles, and leveraging existing resources to innovate service delivery. The presentation will cover implementation challenges, benefits including improved accessibility and reduced staff workload, and lessons learned from similar programs. Ideal for library administrators, technology services coordinators, and circulation managers seeking to enhance user engagement through innovative service models.

Student Engagement Inside and Outside the Library -  M. Roberts
While completing my MSLS last year, I worked as a Graduate Assistant in one of the libraries at the institution where I completed my degree. At that library, we struggled with how to bring students into the library beyond using it as a study space. In this lightning talk, I will describe how and why we worked to engage students both in a virtual, social media space via Instagram and in an in-person space beyond studying by hosting Crafternoon events in the library. I will talk about successes and challenges of both types of engagement, and how they ultimately worked best when used together. I will also discuss how we worked with a class to audit our social media presence and the insights that provided. Finally, I will wrap up with some quick tips and tricks that library staff at any type of library can use to implement similar outreach in their libraries.