Speaker: Prof Paul Gooding, University of Glasgow
Abstract: As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in archival practices, a growing body of scholarship has emerged to address issues such as infrastructure, governance, ethics, and the impact of AI upon archival work. However, there remains a striking absence of user studies research that seeks to understand the AI-related information behaviours and needs of both human and agentic users of archival materials. This talk will identify the implications of this ‘user studies gap’, in order to provoke discussion about the following question: who, or what, are our users in the age of AI, and what might user studies contribute to emergent debates on AI integration in archives?
Bio: Paul Gooding is Professor of Library Studies and Digital Scholarship at the University of Glasgow. He is interested in the impact of digital collections and emerging technologies upon libraries and their users. Recently his research has explored responsible AI adoption and deployment in libraries, including topics such as inclusive requirements elicitation, understanding of transparency and openness in AI usage, and the impact of AI on library workflows and practices. His recent publications include Navigating Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Heritage Organisations (2025, UCL Press) and Library Catalogues as Data: Research, Practice and Usage (2025, Facet Publishing).