NISO Professional Development Events, February and March 2026
February 2026
NISO Webinar
The Global Economics & Politics of Knowledge Exchange
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 11:00 am–12:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time, US & Canada)
International knowledge exchange has been on a growth path for decades. In this session, we’ll consider how immigration, international security, trade policy, and research investments are reshaping publishing and scholarly communication. Academic institutions and publishers are facing a complicated policy landscape impacting everything from research collaborations to conference attendance, and from rising print costs to OA publishing.
Confirmed speakers include: Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Professor/Coordinator for Research Professional Development in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Brian O'Leary, Executive Director, BISG; and David Weinriech, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, for the International Association of STM Publishers (STM).
This webinar will be moderated by Todd Carpenter, Executive Director of NISO.
March 2026
NISO Webinar
To AI or Not to AI: The Ethics of AI Use
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 11:00 am–12:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time, US & Canada)
When is AI helpful—and when should we hit pause? From environmental and operational costs to privacy, equity, and access, we’ll examine real-world scenarios and decision frameworks for choosing when AI should—or should not—be used.
New! NISO Training Series
Assessing and Adopting AI: A 2026 NISO Training Series
Thursdays, March 26–May 14, 2026, 11:00 am–12:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time, US & Canada)
From tools that draft emails and summarize articles to systems that support discovery and research workflows, artificial intelligence is moving fast—promising lots of options, if not solutions. How do you know what tool is going to offer real value? It comes from knowing how to evaluate what’s worth using and what’s hype, as well as how responsible adoption happens within the realities of scholarly institutions.
This 8-week training series offers a practical pathway from curiosity to confident implementation. Participants will learn how to assess AI tools, build essential AI literacy grounded in integrity and ethics, and explore how AI is reshaping scholarship—from digital collections and infrastructure to search, discovery, and teaching. The series also addresses copyright, risk, and governance, and culminates in a hands-on “DIY AI” week focused on lightweight tools and actionable strategies you can bring back to your organization.
Assessing and Adopting AI is designed for professionals who need clarity and actionable instruction. It will help you and your organization make smart decisions, develop shared language, and move from experimentation to sustainable practice.
- Week 1: Approaches for Evaluating AI Tools
- Week 2: AI for Open Scholarship
- Week 3: Digital Collections and Infrastructure
- Week 4: Search and Discovery
- Week 5: Teaching and Research
- Week 6: Copyright and Institutions
- Week 7: Emerging Agents in Research and Scholarship
- Week 8: DIY AI: Building Tools, Shaping Strategies