Gobinda Chowdhury

Gobinda Chowdhury is a Professor of Information Science in the Department of Computer&Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, UK. He has been involved in teaching and research in Information Science for over 25 years and has taken senior management positions at universities in UK and Australia. Professor Chowdhury’s research focuses on digital libraries and information services trying to understand how people access and use information and data in different contexts. Recent research includes information systems and services for addressing the global challenges such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Generative AI for Access to Information: Implications for Users, Information Education and Professional Practices

ChatGPT is a Generative AI that has the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture as the foundation, and is pre-trained on a broad spectrum of generalized and often unlabelled and unvalidated data. Since the arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022, many similar chatbots or tools have appeared in the marketplace, and these technologies have also been embedded in conventional search engines like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. These tools have the ability to create human-like content — images, music, charts, tables, programme codes, etc. – and answer questions in a conversational manner. Conventional search systems are based on indices that map lexical tokens or semantic embeddings to document identifiers, and these indices are designed for retrieving relevant documents; whereas Gen AI-based chatbots support the integration of these documents into a holistic answer that are presented to the user in response to search queries or prompts. So, what would be the impact of the Gen AI tools for access to information? By critically analysing the output generated by some chosen Gen AI tools for access to specific information in everyday life and research contexts, Chowdhury will discuss the implications of these technologies for the end-users, as well as the education and professional practices in information science.

Şebnem Özdemir

Assoc. Prof. Şebnem Özdemir holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Yıldız Technical University. She completed two master’s degrees in Mathematics Education and Informatics at Istanbul University. She received her PhD degree from Istanbul University, Department of Informatics. She conducted her post – doctoral research as a researcher in the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She then moved to MIT CSAIL and continued her work in the field of artificial intelligence. Özdemir is currently the Head of the Department of Management Information Systems and the Head of the Department of Data Science at Istinye University. She is the founder of Usight Software and Artificial Intelligence Technologies. With the machine learning model she developed, She was awarded the “Human Development Research Award” by Koç University UNESCO Chair in 2016, the “Leader Creating Awareness in Artificial Intelligence Award” by CIO Turkey in 2020, and the “Artificial Intelligence for Social Benefit” award by the International Barrier-Free Informatics Platform in 2021. Assoc. Prof. Özdemir, who has worked as a manager, consultant and researcher in many national and international projects focused on data science and artificial intelligence, has many book chapters, articles and patents published in national and international platforms. Her main research interests are artificial intelligence, data science, informatics, generative artificial intelligence applications, decision making and mathematical modeling.

Hamza Kandur

Hamza Kandur is a Professor in the Department of Information and Records Management at Istanbul 29 Mayıs University. He received his bachelor’s degree from Hacettepe University, Department of Librarianship, his master’s degree from Loughborough University of Technology, Department of Library Archives and Information Studies and his PhD degree from University College London, School of Library Archives and Information Studies.

He began his academic career as a lecturer at Marmara University. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1998 and to Full Professor in 2006. Between 2006 and 2016, he served as the Head of the Department of Information and Records Management at Marmara University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Professor Kandur held several administrative roles throughout his career, including Vice Rector at Marmara University from 2010 to 2014, and Vice Rector at Antalya Bilim University from 2018 to 2023. Additionally, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at Antalya Bilim University from 2021 to 2024. His primary research interests include Electronic Records Management, Records Standards, and E-Government Applications.

The Role of AI in Developing Next Generation Standards for Archives and Records Management

Turkey has a long history of developing and applying archives and records management standards, especially in the public sector. TS 13289, the electronic records management systems standard, has been developed and used in public EBYS systems for nearly two decades. During this time, there have been a number of assessments and new versions have been published. However, in recent years, developments in the area of AI present new opportunities and also pose new challenges to the way archives and records are managed. This speech attempts to address the challenges and opportunities in the area of developing standards for archives and records management, especially in light of re-thinking the Turkish Electronic Records Management Systems Standard, TS 13289.

Plamen Miltenoff

Dr. Plamen Miltenoff worked as an information specialist and Professor at St. Cloud State University, United States and currently is a researcher at University of Economics-Varna, Bulgaria. His education includes graduate degrees in history from Bulgaria, Austria and the United States, a graduate degree in library and information science and terminal degrees in education and psychology. His professional interests include educational technologies, social media, gaming and gamification, learning environments (LEs), immersive teaching and learning, and artificial intelligence for education.

A Short Overview of the State of AI Literacy Abroad and in the Region: A Case Study of Librarians Attitudes toward AI

AI is reshaping information services, necessitating librarians to adapt their skills and take on new responsibilities, such as guiding users in understanding Generative AI tools and evaluating their outputs critically. Librarians are in an excellent position to assume a leadership role in promoting AI literacy by integrating AI-related education into information literacy frameworks and supporting ethical AI use. Professional development is increasingly important to prepare librarians for these tasks, positioning them as key facilitators in bridging the gap between technology, education, and ethical information practices. In this invited talk, findings on AI perceptions and usage among librarians and information professionals in Mexico, Italy, Bulgaria, and Bangladesh will be shared. Additionally, strategies for shaping AI literacy education to facilitate the adoption of productive AI in libraries will be discussed.