Laskowski, Casandra and Miguel-Stearns, Teresa M. and Ching, Tina and Florio, Emily and Lohmeier, Kerry and O’Grady, Jean and Postar, Adeen and Williams, Austin and Wolek, Kristin, Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Law Libraries: Mid-Atlantic Roundtable Report  (July 31, 2024). Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper No. 24-25, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4955870 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4955870 – On Friday, October 13, 2023, a group of legal experts and legal information professionals gathered at the University of Arizona’s Washington D.C. Center for Outreach & Engagement for what would be the first of six regional roundtable discussions on Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Law Libraries. This project was prompted by the far-reaching impacts – known and still unknown – of artificial intelligence (AI) on the legal information landscape. While there is much discussion about generative AI’s actual and potential disruption to law practice and legal education, there has been little discussion of how generative AI will change the legal information and law librarianship profession and practice. This project aims to break this silence and thrust law libraries and legal information centers to the forefront of discussion about AI, particularly generative AI.  The goal of this project is to gather a diverse (in every way) group of some of the most creative, thoughtful, and strategic people in the industry and give them the space to generate ideas and perspectives about the future. Participants of each of the six regional roundtables will draft a report, like this one, and then participants will collaboratively generate a white paper synthesizing all the findings and providing recommendations for law libraries as we progress into the age of AI…” Key Takeaways
1. While the challenges for law libraries and law librarianship are real, the opportunities outweigh the challenges.
2. Immediate action is needed to ensure our values are reflected in AI tools and policies.
3. Gathering buy-in from the library team is critical to law libraries’ continued relevance and longevity, and supporting law librarians’ professional development in this emerging area is vital to these efforts.
4. Passivity on the part of law librarians with regard to AI, especially generative AI, will alienate legal information professionals in ways that are detrimental to the future of legal informatics..”