9:00 a.m. -10:15 a.m. (Hybrid Session) Keynote speaker with Dr. Chastity Warren English, Professor & Coordinator of Agricultural Education
10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m. (Hybrid Session) Tech Trends Interest Group Lightning session Co-Conveners, Alex Wiker and Nicole Juve
Discovery to Decisions: Technology’s Evolving Role in Agricultural Librarianship
Using AI to Help Make ‘Hidden’ Library Collections Discoverable Becky Miller, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences Librarian, University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley Library has been experimenting with using GenAI tools to generate metadata for special collections across the libraries. I will talk about my experience using a commercial product, JSTOR Seeklight, to generate metadata for two previously ‘undiscoverable’ collections - forestry-related glass lantern slides, and uncataloged agricultural extension publications. I will cover efficiencies gained, challenges encountered, balancing professional expertise in GenAI-assisted workflows, and improvements to the discoverability of these two very different collections.
From Index Terms to Insights: Leveraging SDGenie and CABI Thesaurus Search Builder for Agricultural Research Support Claire Jackson, Publisher, CABI and Lieke Boerefijin-van Schaajk, Platform Manager, CABI
Discover how two new CABI tools - SDGenie and the CABI Thesaurus Search Builder - help agricultural librarians strengthen research discovery and highlight SDG‑aligned impact. Both tools are powered by the rich indexing terms of CABI Thesaurus, a controlled vocabulary covering agriculture, environmental sciences, and related applied life sciences. Together, these tools empower librarians to enhance discovery, strengthen research support, and demonstrate contributions to global challenges such as food security, climate resilience, and sustainable development.
When “Unique” Isn’t Unique Anymore: How Open Access is Quietly Reshaping Aggregator Value in Agricultural and Environmental Publishing Carson Williams, Collection Development Librarian, Agriculture & Life Sciences, Cornell University
Using title-level overlap and usage analysis, this presentation shows how materials once considered “unique” within aggregator databases are increasingly accessible elsewhere. It highlights what this shift means for evaluating database value and making collection development decisions under tightening budget constraints.
11:30 a.m. -12:50 a.m. (Hybrid Session) Lunch with Dr. Kim Niewolny, Professor and Director of the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation
Why the Social Imaginary Matters: Knowledge and Praxis for Sustainable Food Systems
I explore why the social imaginary is foundational to sustainable food system possibilities and propose ways to foster critical praxis to “unthink” the orthodoxies that often shape our sense of what is possible. This involves shifting away from centering solely on what we know in our research, extension, and teaching, and instead focusing on how we intentionally and critically engage diverse forms of knowledge and ways of knowing to explore and catalyze the conditions for a more abundant and healthy food future. Such work depends on collaborative, networked, and participatory approaches that prioritize generative, rather than extractive, ways of producing knowledge across our research, teaching, and extension spaces. Examples of community-university coalition building, action research, and storytelling approaches offer tangible praxis insights.
Liaison Librarianship
3:15- 4:15 p.m. Ag Econ Research, Information and Education Interest Group roundtable discussions Becky Miller, Moderator
In this session, participants will have small group discussions with a topic for each table/group. At the end of the session, participants will report back about items discussed.
4:15- 5:15 p.m. AgNIC Interest Group Q&A session Karen Burton, Moderator