(via Dr. Clara Chu, Director and Mortenson Distinguished Professor at Mortenson Center, UIUC Library)
We invite applications for the inaugural IDEA (Innovation, Disruption, Enquiry, Access) Institute on Artificial Intelligence (AI). We are seeking library and information professionals holding full-time positions in US institutions interested in enhancing and applying their knowledge of AI in their workplace, to participate in the Institute.
Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, also referred to as IMLS, the IDEA Institute offers one-week of intensive learning and practical experience in AI applications in library and information environments. The second Institute will be held at The University of Texas at Austin on July 10-15, Friday-Wednesday, 2022 (dates are tentative, pending COVID-19 circumstances).
We are seeking 15 IMLS-funded Fellows. IMLS-funded Fellows will have their Institute expenses covered (housing, meals and program fee) and will only be responsible for the cost of their transportation.
Our priority is to recruit and create a cohort of Fellows who will represent diverse socio-demographic backgrounds, types of positions, types of libraries, and capacities of implementing AI in their workplace. We are recruiting applicants who meet the following criteria.
- are enthusiastic to learning, evaluating, and applying AI in library and information environments;
- have a basic knowledge of programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, and/or equivalent) and web coding;
- hold full-time positions in US institutions as library and information professionals;
- are committed to participating in the online Pre-Institute Onboarding Program (10-15 hours contact time over three months) and post-Institute activities (e.g., project presentations and implementation); and
- can attend the 2022 IDEA Institute in Austin, TX, for one week; and
- have institutional support to apply learning gained from the Institute to AI projects in their own workplace.
IDEA Fellows will be chosen through a competitive selection process.
We will hold a virtual information session on Friday, January 7, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM CDT. Please register here.
To submit an application, please go here. Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, February 1. Fellows accepted to the Institute will be notified on March 1.
The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) and American Library Association (ALA) are Institute partners. For more information, go here or direct questions to Soo Young Rieh at rieh@ischool.utexas.edu.