Here at NISO we’ve been hard at work planning for the NISO Plus 2024 conference in Baltimore, Maryland (February 13–14). Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the conference will continue to bring librarians, publishers, tech and service providers, government agencies, and more to address some of the biggest trends and issues in the information community. We are pleased to share that a preliminary agenda is now available, so take a look at what’s in store and register for the meeting now—the early bird deadline is January 8.
In addition to keynotes from industry leaders and the much-anticipated Miles Conrad Lecture and Awards Luncheon, NISO Plus Baltimore will feature sessions organized into three tracks—metadata, open scholarship, and artificial intelligence—as well as a “wild card” track. The first of these, on metadata, covers the latest developments in this important area critical to the flow of information. Topics include equity in metadata, author identity and name changes in metadata, and new and emerging uses. And of course, it wouldn’t be a NISO Plus meeting without a session on persistent identifiers! This year’s conference will explore the role of PIDs in assessing research.
As the call for greater transparency and accessibility in scholarly communications continues, a number of sessions consider what the transition to “open” means for librarians and content and service providers. The open scholarship track examines this topic across disciplines, including the humanities. It also includes sessions on open access books (and the infrastructure required to support them), open data, bibliodiversity, and the tools and tech supporting open research.
The third track, on artificial intelligence, addresses some of the most pressing issues around new and emerging technologies falling under the category of “AI”: the ethical implications of using AI, the role of AI and machine learning in discovery and search, concerns around intellectual property, and educating authors and users about AI. A pre-conference on AI, to be held on Monday, February 12, just prior to the main meeting, is also planned. Attendees of this extended introductory session will come away with a thorough understanding of how machine learning systems work, what they are capable of, the services and systems used in scholarly communications, and the risks involved in those uses.
A final “wild card” track will feature updates on NISO standards, lightning presentations, and time reserved for important issues that arise between now and the conference. And as always, the conference will emphasize discussion and interactivity in addition to presentations, with the goal of generating ideas that will shape future NISO projects.
Check back with us over the next few weeks for updates on the full program and speakers, and remember to register by January 8 to take advantage of early bird registration rates!
