52 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 299 2019 the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics,15 librarians are sensitive to issues related to information ethics and privacy. They are also aware of information policies more broadly that impact the universities and their use of different types of information. As new forms of information and methods for working with that information have continued to evolve, today’s research librarians are instrumental in working with faculty, students, and staff to help with managing information and to provide guidance related to such policies as copyright, intellectual property, privacy, and ethical use of personal information. Librarians have increasingly become a part of research teams on campus, helping them manage their data and develop consistent, replicable processes for working with their data.16 Data is at the core of AI-enabled systems, with data sets used as training for developing a more generalized model that can make decisions on new data.17 Accustomed to working with faculty, students, and staff, librarians are not only qualified experts in understanding data provenance, but are also trusted professionals who steward information and provide education.18 Librarians can work to identify areas where policies will be beneficial and bring awareness of existing laws—such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) passed by the European Union (EU) to protect EU citizens’ right to privacy with online information19—so that there is consistency with higher- level governance. By examining some of the issues that exist in AI research, education, and administrative uses at research universities, it is possible to understand the impartial role librarians can have in working with campus stakeholders to develop policies that identify the decisions Research librarians, having expertise in information science, are well positioned to navigate the campus landscape and work with stakeholders to form policies that can ensure accountability, transparency, and alignment with ethical values.
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