Title: From Archives to Visualizations: Embracing Digital Transformation in GLAM Institutions

The rapid evolution of technology presents unprecedented opportunities for Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) institutions, especially for academic libraries. New technologies are increasingly becoming suitable for addressing the unique requirements of these cultural heritage organizations. They are unlocking possibilities for uncovering archival collections while enhancing accessibility, usability, and preservation of both digital and analogue archives.

The central theme of this roundtable discussion is the transformative potential of cutting-edge digital technologies within the context of academic library services. We will examine innovations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), transformer-based large language models (LLMs), 3D capturing and Computer Vision (CV), which collectively offer new avenues for streamlining archival processes and digital transformation efforts. These technologies facilitate the accessibility of cultural heritage materials to a wider audience through innovative distant viewing methodologies and interactive visualizations. GLAM breathe new life into interpretation of archives through these digital tools and techniques. The incorporation of high-quality visualization has the potential to revolutionize the way users interact with these unique resources with multifaceted experiences. Text-mining can also be supported in a more sophisticated way and this can offer simplified frameworks for complex data analytics. At the same time, simpler technologies, such as 360-degree photography, continue to have practical applications for smaller institutions due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

Our discussions aim to provide interdisciplinary theoretical and practical evaluations of these technologies. Participants will explore the application of different digital transformation methodologies through practical use case studies, showcasing findings from both early developmental stages and more mature implementations. This exploration will offer insightful perspectives on the current and future roles of digital technologies in transforming archives. The roundtable will also discuss the implications for historians and other scholars, who rely heavily on archival data for their research, as these advancements can significantly enhance their ability to access and interpret historical materials.

The integration of digital technologies and AI into academic library ecosystems is not without challenges. We will delve into the ethical implications surrounding these innovations, including concerns about biases inherent in AI systems, risks to privacy, and the potential erosion of trust if these technologies are implemented without transparency and accountability. These challenges highlight the complex socio-technical interactions at play when adopting new technologies to digital collections.

We will explore strategies for managing the ethical tensions that arise from digital innovation, ensuring accountability, inclusiveness, and equity in the realm of cultural heritage. A critical issue that we will address is the challenge of obtaining contextually high-quality and semantically relevant training datasets. The limitations of current evaluation benchmarks will also be a focal point, as we discuss the development of best practices aligned with explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) methods.

This roundtable discussion will provide a foundation for rethinking the future of digital transformation within GLAM sectors. We aim to strike a balance between the technological possibilities offered by these advancements and the ethical considerations inherent in their applications. Importantly, we will bring to light pressing concerns regarding collaborative frameworks that can push the use of advanced technologies further, ultimately enhancing digital knowledge dissemination.

By focusing on improving access, usability, and preservation, we seek to foster an environment where academic libraries can thrive in the digital age. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how to leverage technological innovations while remaining vigilant about the ethical implications they entail. This session promises to inspire meaningful dialogue and collaborative efforts that will shape the future of GLAM institutions in an increasingly digital world.