Organizers: National Library of Spain CENL, Conference of European National Libraries. AI in Libraries Network Group.
The National Library of Spain (BNE) offers a new space for conversation, exchange, and reflection on the impact of AI development on our society and on the mission of the BNE and libraries. This time, we have the collaboration of the “AI in Libraries” group from the Conference of European National Libraries, of which BNE is a member.
While the 2023 conference addressed cross-cutting aspects of artificial intelligence and its impact on legal, political, and institutional matters in our sector, this second edition aims to highlight strategies, initiatives, and projects already underway in European national libraries, as key agents in the practical application of AI within the broader ecosystems of knowledge preservation and creation. At a time when technology is redefining the present and future of cultural heritage, European national libraries play a critical role in knowledge management and the adoption of technology to enhance access, dissemination, and conservation.
This conference invites professionals, researchers, and leaders from the library sector to explore this path of digital transformation that involves all of us.
The event, fostered through collaboration with the AI in Libraries Network Group of CENL, will bring together representatives from various national libraries in Europe to share their experiences, strategies, achievements, and challenges in implementing artificial intelligence to manage, preserve, and make their heritage collections accessible to the public. From advanced cataloging and analysis systems to innovative methods of knowledge discovery, recreation, and library process improvements, participants will demonstrate how they have put their AI strategies into practice, transforming their collections into living and accessible assets.
A vision that spans from strategy to concrete action, this conference will be a space for inspiration, learning, and shared engagement —a place for conversation and exchange that allows us to collectively address the highly complex and challenging issues we face today in our institutional and professional work. The conference will take place at the headquarters of the National Library of Spain on the morning of November 22, and it will be streamed live and later accessible via the BNE YouTube channel.
In the afternoon, as part of this conference, the BNE will again host a meeting organized with the CLARIAH-ES consortium, a strategic pan-European research network of which the National Library of Spain is a member. This session will showcase the latest developments in the network and in digital research within our country.