Tech Days is a two-day series of webinars. Please register for each webinar individually; sign up for any or all!
What Does AI Mean for Our Future?
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
10:00 -11:30am
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving faster than society can fully understand or regulate it. In this timely and thought-provoking session, cybersecurity expert Patrick McDaniel explores the complex intersection of AI innovation, ethics, and risk. Attendees will gain insight into the real-world consequences of unchecked AI development—from safety and security threats to environmental and societal impacts—and discuss the crucial role public institutions like libraries can play in fostering informed dialogue and equitable access to emerging technologies.
Presenter: Patrick McDaniel
Technology-related continuing education contact hours: 1.5
Ancient Worlds, New Tech: Bringing History to Life with AR and MR in the Library
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
1:00 - 2:30pm
Bring the past into the present with immersive technology! This webinar explores how libraries can use Augmented and Mixed Reality (AR/MR) to activate cultural stories, build layered exhibits, and engage patrons of all ages. Learn how to design interactive experiences using tools like Adobe Aero, BlippAR, and ZapWorks—no coding required. We’ll spotlight successful library case studies and walk through accessible workflows to create your own programs. Featured ideas include Myth in Motion: AR Poster Series, Augment the Exhibit, Time Travelers’ Map, History on a Cube, Voices in the Stacks, and Smells of the Past. Whether you’re working with a single display or developing full immersive zones, this session will help you start small, think big, and connect your community through technology and story.
Participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between AR and MR and identify key tools for each that are accessible in public and academic libraries.
- Apply practical workflows to create spatial, visual, and auditory exhibit layers using beginner- and intermediate-friendly tools.
- Design interactive programming that brings cultural heritage to life through multisensory experiences such as AR posters, Merge Cube artifacts, soundscapes, and tactile installations.
Presenter: Ellyssa Kroski
Technology-related continuing education contact hours: 1.5
Truth in the Age of Deepfakes: Spotting Misinformation in a Synthetic World
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
9:30 - 10:30 am
From altered videos to AI-generated voices, today’s digital tools can create convincing fakes that blur the line between what’s real and what’s not. In this session, we’ll explore how deepfake technology works, why it’s spreading so quickly, and what it means for truth, trust, and public understanding. You’ll learn how to recognize synthetic content, explain it to others, and use practical strategies to respond to misinformation—whether you're teaching or leading programs, serving the public, or just trying to stay informed yourself.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how to recognize common signs of AI-created sythetic content, from images to text to video.
- Gain clear, non-alarmist language for helping patrons understand what deepfakes are and why they matter.
- Explore practical strategies to respond to misinformation through programs and conversations with patrons
Technology-related continuing education contact hours: 1
Literacy & Justice for All: Explore how early literacy practices, include PBS digital learning resources, advance equity and justice in our libraries and communities
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
11:00am -12:30pm
Literacy goes beyond reading and writing—it is the foundation for voice, access, and agency.
In this session, we’ll explore how early literacy practices include digital learning that advances equity and justice in our libraries and communities. Together, we’ll examine how stories and media shape identity, how language empowers children to express their truths, and how inclusive literacy environments include multimedia that can challenge bias and build belonging.
We’ll also dive into free PBS multimedia collections that include bilingual materials, digital games, tech related tools and printable activities that help children think critically, ask meaningful questions, and consider diverse perspectives.
Reimagine literacy as a pathway to inclusion, empathy, and social change—and reflect on our role as media mentors in helping all children become confident, connected, and justice-minded communicators.
- Identify culturally responsive and anti-bias strategies for supporting media literacy in diverse learning environments.
- Identify strategies for using PBS LearningMedia digital resources to promote media literacy where children learn about being responsible, safe and informed digital citizens.
- Discover media rich opportunities to integrate the process of playful, everyday literacy while promoting equity, empathy and critical thinking that guides children's exploration and discovery about themselves, one another and their environment.
- Learn about free bilingual, play filled resources from PBS KIDS that integrate media literacy and build tech related skills while celebrating informed and inclusive communities.
Presenter: Jami Hoekstra Collins
Technology-related continuing education contact hours: 1.5
Using AI for Project Management
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
1:00 - 2:30pm
This session explores how AI tools can be leveraged across the project lifecycle—from initial discovery and planning to risk assessment, requirement gathering, communications, and change management. Attendees will gain insight into practical, real-world applications of AI that enhance efficiency and support solo or small-team project execution.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify key areas in the project management process where AI can provide meaningful support.
- Evaluate AI tools for tasks such as planning, risk analysis, and client communications.
- Apply AI strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness when managing projects independently or with minimal support.
Presenter: Mehrnaz Ahmadi Joobaneh
Technology-related continuing education contact hours: 1.5