AI in libraries in focus during the County Conference in Kiruna

2024 is the year we will all be fooled. Professor Peter Parnes stated this during the county conference, which this year had the theme of AI and how AI can be used in a library context – today and in the future.

Over two days at the end of May, around 100 library employees from all over Norrbotten gathered for the conference, which is held every two years. The host municipality was Kiruna, and the city showed off its very best side with scorching midsummer heat and a brilliant midnight sun.

Kiruna City Councillor Mats Taaveniku gave the opening speech, followed by Marcus Forsberg, Head of Culture in Kiruna. The conference's keynote speaker, Professor Peter Parnes, then took the floor and presented what AI is and how the technology can be used to support learning processes, among other things.

Development of AI

Work on AI started as early as the 50s, but gained momentum in the early 2000s when we gained access to more powerful computers. Peter explained that AI is basically a statistical guessing machine, and emphasized the importance of examining the results with a critical eye. When users report incorrect answers, the AI ​​will improve over time, as it is based on previous experiences and the data it has been trained on. AI has already become so good that it can be difficult to determine what is true and what is false.

AI in education and the labor market

In personalized learning, AI is growing rapidly because it is an excellent tool for planning and developing educational methods and materials. AI provides quick answers and can help understand and develop reasoning. By writing and summarizing texts, translating texts into other languages, and providing feedback, AI is becoming a powerful tool in many industries. Does this mean that AI will take our jobs?

According to Peter, AI has already led to around 300 people losing their jobs in the high-tech area of ​​Silicon Valley in the US. When Klarna reduced its workforce in favor of AI, it proved to provide customers with better service than real people.

– But it is not AI that takes the jobs, but the people who can use AI effectively, Peter Parnes points out.

Since AI cannot think for itself, it needs someone to tell it what to do. Skills that will be in demand in the job market in the future include creative and analytical thinking, flexibility and curiosity to be able to write the best prompts possible.

Practical examples and future insights

AI is already being used in the library world. Malin Lundbäck from the school libraries in Kalix shared how she used ChatGPT to create mystery stories for high school students. The mystery stories take place in the library, and by including fake clues and using social media, she created an engaging and interactive reading experience. In addition to ChatGPT, she also used AI via the apps Canva and Heygen when the library staff created their digital alter egos, which then participated in the mystery stories. The students thought it was really fun!

Mattias Silvder is the head of the library in Luleå and is attending the conference as a participant. He reflects on the role of libraries when it comes to AI.

– Perhaps the skepticism towards AI comes to some extent from literature? In dystopias and fantasy, people have talked about AI for a long time, and then in quite dark terms. It is nice to be at the forefront as a library and show the positive sides of artificial intelligence, he says.

Mattias Silvder, library director in Luleå, reflects on the role of libraries when it comes to AI.

And there may be something to that. Since AI handles multilingualism, it is a great advantage from an inclusion perspective and can be of great use to libraries with visitors whose native language is not Swedish, just to name one example.

Share-learn and new experiences

During the second day of the conference, participants were inspired by each other through a Share-Learn session.

• Shared reading
  Malin Nygård from Boden and Anna-Karin Luttu from Övertorneå introduced and gave a practical overview of the shared reading method.
• Reading project for participants in daily activities
  Sanna Gunnare from Kiruna talked about the project and the challenges and lessons it brought.
• Book start
  Disa Eliasson and Viktoria Lindberg from Arvidsjaur talked about the work with young children's language.
• The word is free
  Birgitta Markusson and Maria Öman from the Regional Library held a session on freedom of expression. The communications agency Yours began with a short presentation of the concept The Word is Free, followed by group work.

The next program item was the libraries in The libraries in Malmö were also invited to the conference to share their experiences with an algorithm-driven logistics system for media management. It was exciting to see how they are taking advantage of the technology to make their everyday lives easier, as well as the changes in their operations that they have collectively had to undergo for a smooth transition to the library of the future.

The conference concluded with the awarding of the Aurora Scholarship. The recipient was Sanna Barsk at Kiruna City Library for her work in including the views of children and young people in the design of the library. 

Greetings from the host municipality

For many participants it was their first time visiting Kiruna City Library, which has received brand new premises due to the city move. During the first day of the conference we had the privilege of being in their library, and during the breaks many people walked around and looked around and were inspired.

– Cooperation between municipalities is strengthened when you meet and experience common things. It also feels incredibly nice to be able to showcase Kiruna City Library and Kiruna, says Carina Bergsten, library manager in Kiruna, after the conference ended. She hopes that everyone has felt welcome and taken care of, which the evaluations confirm as Kiruna received the highest marks from the conference participants.

The host municipality for the next County Conference has not yet been decided, but we look forward to meeting again.

Birgitta Markusson, Regional Library and Carina Bergsten, library manager in Kiruna.

About Norrbotten Regional Library

The Regional Library is a hub and a unifying actor for the development of public libraries in Norrbotten. The region and the municipalities cooperate within the organization Biblioteken i Norrbotten to ensure residents' access to library services. Together, Biblioteken i Norrbotten runs the digital libraries Bibblo.se and Polar bibblo.

Text and image: Linda Kvenås