10th Annual MD Tech Connect – 2024!
The 10th Annual MD Tech Connect event will take place Thursday, December 12, 2024 at the Universities at Shady Grove. The theme of this year’s event is “AI and Emerging Technologies” and will encompass the ways in which Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models, and other emerging technologies influence and interact with library technology.
Registration opens Monday, October 7.
Our opening keynote speaker, Lee Rainie, Director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center at Elon University (NC), will discuss the latest trends in artificial intelligence (AI) systems and related technologies and how the public feels about them. He will describe how to navigate this revolution-challenged world, where people’s use of information, their jobs, their political activities, their personal relationships and their place in their communities is being affected by AI.
In our closing keynote, Dr. Mila Gasco-Hernandez, Research Director for the Center for Technology in Government at SUNY Albany, and Brooks Rainwater, President and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council, will discuss the initial research findings on their IMLS grant project “Empowering Communities: Public Libraries, Inclusive Civic Engagement and Artificial Intelligence.”
MD Tech Connect Extended
MD Tech Connect Extended is a special webinar series offered free in addition to the annual MD Tech Connect events. The webinars are for anyone (library staff local to Maryland) who is interested, even if you don’t make it to the conference. This is a fun and easy (and free) way to keep up with emerging technologies. See details about upcoming webinars.
9th Annual MD Tech Connect
MD Tech Connect returned to the Universities at Shady Grove on Tuesday, December 5, 2023! The theme of this year’s event was Building Bridges with Technology and will encompass the ways in which diversity, equity, and inclusion intersect with library technology. Our keynote speakers were Deshjuana Bagley, founder of TechPlayZone, who talked about attracting members of underserved communities to STEM careers and James Neal, Senior Program Officer with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who talked about how libraries may leverage their role as anchor institutions and community catalysts to plan and implement solutions for broadband access and promote digital literacy and digital skills training for staff and library users. Session slides and handouts are available on the MD Tech Connect 2023 page.
What is MD Tech Connect?
More than ever technology is becoming integral to our libraries – from the experiences we provide for customers to the tools we use to serve them. The event is designed to continue the work of building a library technology community in Maryland that is more inclusive than in the past – recognizing that our tech efforts touch ALL library staff, not just IT staff. The intended audience is “IT staff”, “technologists” and “technology enthusiasts” from all types of libraries. The event is designed to bridge these various library technology worlds to be inclusive of all library staff.