8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks

9:00 a.m. -10:15 a.m. (Hybrid Session) Keynote speaker with Dr. Chastity Warren English, Professor & Coordinator of Agricultural Education

"From Gatekeepers to Bridge Builders: Reimagining Agricultural Knowledge, Equity, and Access for the Future"

As agricultural information professionals, we play a critical role in shaping not only what is known, but who gets to know, access, and apply that knowledge. This keynote invites attendees to reflect on the evolving role of knowledge systems in agriculture and challenges us to move beyond traditional roles as gatekeepers toward becoming intentional bridge builders of access, equity, and opportunity.

Drawing from her work in agricultural education, workforce preparation, and equity-centered teaching, Dr. Chastity English explores how knowledge systems have historically functioned and how they can evolve to better serve diverse learners, communities, and future leaders in agriculture. Emphasizing the connection between access and application, this keynote highlights the importance of designing experiences that empower individuals not only to engage with knowledge but to apply it in meaningful and transformative ways.

Participants will engage in a brief reflective activity and leave with a renewed perspective and personal commitment to advancing inclusive, impactful knowledge practices within their institutions and communities.

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.

1 p.m. -2 p.m. (Hybrid Session) Papers Concurrent Sessions, themes: 1) Extension and 2) Liaison Librarianship 

Liaison Librarianship

• Nurturing a New Ag Librarian: Experiences using a liaison toolkit to help onboard a new Agriculture Librarian   Randa Morgan (rlope12@lsu.edu) and Larissa Miller (lellio3@lsu.edu)
• Cultivating Research Skills: Honoring Librarian Traditions, Empowering Graduate Success, and Growing Future Scholarship                                                                                                                                                                                       Livia Olsen (livia@ksu.edu), Jason Coleman (coleman@ksu.edu), Cindy Logan (clogan@ksu.edu) and Carol Sevin (sevin@ksu.edu)
• From audit to action: Inclusive exhibit practices in academic libraries                                                                                 Janis Shearer (janisjshearer@gmail.com)

Extension

• Starting from Scratch: Creating a New Library Partnership with Extension                                                                      Jara Anderson (jbanderson@missouri.edu)   
• Recovering Our Roots: A Librarian’s Quest for Extension Publications                                                                                Karen Burton ( kbburto@clemson.edu)
• Beyond Victory Gardens: How MSC Extension trained Michigan women for self-sufficiency                                    Suzanne Teghtmeyer (teghtmey@msu.edu)

2 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Break and meet with vendors

• Cultivating Evidence: The Evolution, Collaboration, and Intellectual Landscape of Evidence Synthesis Research in Agriculture                                                                                                                                                                                       Chao Cai (caic@purdue.edu), Jane Yatcilla ( janeyat@purdue.edu), Sylvie Brouder (sbrouder@purdue.edu), and Jeffrey Volene ( jvolenec@purdue.edu)
• From Interoperability to Artificial Intelligence: The Evolution of the SIDALC Alliance as a Hemispheric Agricultural Information Platform                                                                                                                                          

  Manuel Hidalgo Oconitrillo (manuel.hidalgo@iica.int)

• Harvesting bibliometric insights: Benchmarking evidence synthesis publication patterns to inform service development                                                                                                                                                                                   Kelly Weigand (kaj0050@auburn.edu), Patricia Hartman (pjh0011@auburn.edu), and Kim Powell (krp0069@auburn.edu)

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