ai4lam is a collaborative framework for libraries, archives and museums to organize, share and elevate their knowledge about and use of artificial intelligence. Individually we are slow and isolated; collectively we can go faster and farther.
Inspired by the success of the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) in coordinating large scale collaboration on interoperable technology to advance LAMs, the National Library of Norway and Stanford University Libraries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 to create an open collaboration on AI. The 2018 Fantastic Futures conference in Oslo was the first concrete step in this effort. A second edition was organized, this time at Stanford in 2019, where a small group met to progress discussions from Oslo and the AI4LAM network was formed. For more information on past Fantastic Futures conferences, see the links on the homepage.
The Secretariat is responsible for coordinating and supporting the activities of the community. Five organizations formed the Secretariat in 2019 : National Library of Norway, Stanford University Libraries, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Smithsonian Institution, and the British Library.
Current members of the secretariat are:
National Library of Norway : Svein Arne Brygfield
Stanford University Libraries : Tom Cramer, Peter Leonard
Bibliothèque nationale de France : Céline Leclaire
Ecole nationale des chartes : Emmanuelle Bermès
Smithsonian Institution : Mike Trizna
British Library : Neil Fitzgerald
Library of Congress : Abbey Potter
Abbey Potter and Mike Trizna are the current co-chairs of the Secretariat.
The ai4lam Council is a group of active community members from the ai4lam Community that help lead initiatives and coordinate efforts. It comprises volunteers drawn from invited experts. It serves as thought and practice leaders for ai4lam, and works hand in hand with the Secretariat, which serves as the administrative backbone for the community. Invitations are issued by the Secretariat, and Council members will serve for two-year terms.
Current members are: Silvia Silini, Université Paris-Saclay; Amy Adams, National Museum of the Royal Navy; Andrew M. Cox, Sheffield; Claudia Engel, Stanford; Daniel van Strien, Hugging Face; Emily Dodd, Imperial War Museums; Giles Bergel, Oxford; Ingrid Mason, NFSA (AU & ANZ); Javier de la Rosa, NL Norway; Jean-Philippe Moreux, BnF; John Sheridan, The National Archives (UK); Maud Ehrmann, EPFL; Nicole Coleman, Stanford; Stephen McConnachie, British Film Institute; Thomas Padilla, Internet Archive.
At this point all activities and groups are open to all institutions and any interested individual. We are exploring formal membership models and may introduce one in the future. For now, if you are interested, please participate!
AI4LAM is based on solely voluntary work from the participating organisations. The preliminary structure consists of a Secretariat, then a Council, Working Groups and Chapters and the annual AI4LAM conference called Fantastic Futures. The AI4LAM organisation will adapt to lessons learned during practise.
contact@ai4lam.org
The AI4LAM Code of Conduct covers our behavior as members of the AI4LAM Community in any forum or setting, including the AI4LAM-Discuss mailing list, the AI4LAM Slack workspace, the AI4LAM community Google Drive, remote and in-person meetings, private correspondence related to AI4LAM, source code repositories affiliated with AI4LAM, and discussion forums associated with source code repositories.
AI4LAM’s core values include being an inclusive, diverse, international and safe community. As an international community, we are sensitive to many different social and cultural norms around language and behavior, and we strive to conduct ourselves, online and in person, in ways that are unlikely to cause offense. AI4LAM members communicate primarily in English, recognising that English is not the native language for many in the community. We therefore strive to express ourselves simply and clearly, remembering that unnecessary use of jargon and slang will be a barrier to understanding for many of our colleagues. We recognize that not everyone may want or be able to travel internationally for AI4LAM events, and we strive to provide opportunities for remote participation whenever possible.
We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. The AI4LAM community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free collaboration experience for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, religion, faith, or anything else. We do not tolerate harassment of community participants in any form. Sexual or discriminatory language and imagery is not appropriate for any venue, including event presentations, email lists, teleconferences, and in-person gatherings. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled at the discretion of the event of community coordinators, and their details provided to partner institutions.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
Offensive verbal comments, insults, or jokes related to physical or intellectual ability, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, religion, etc.
Discriminatory images in public spaces, including but not limited to sexually explicit or violent material
Deliberate intimidation, violent threats or language directed against another person
Stalking, or unwanted following
Harassing photography or recording
Sustained disruption of talks or other communication
Inappropriate or unwanted physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention
Posting (or threatening to post) other people’s personally identifying information
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop
As this document outlines, participants in the AI4LAM community seek to foster a positive and supportive environment. We pride ourselves on building a productive, happy, and flexible community that can welcome new ideas in a complex field and foster collaboration between groups that ultimately share the same needs, interests, and goals.
Individuals who violate these guidelines will be notified and asked to change their behavior. Repeated violations may result in loss of membership in project groups, revocation of special access to project resources, and/or loss of access to project communication channels (AI4LAM -Discuss email list, Slack channels, and others). Repeat offenders may be asked to stop participating or directed to filter their participation through another member of their institution (if applicable).
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, or immediate expulsion from the event or communication channel. Participants asked, by anyone, to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event organizing team and/or ai4lam Secretariat (secretariat@ai4lam.org). If you believe anyone is in physical danger, please notify appropriate law enforcement first. If you are unsure what law enforcement agency is appropriate, please include this in your report and we will attempt to notify them.
