Assessing and Adopting AI: A 2026 NISO Training Series

Scope

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

Training Facilitator

Jessica Miles, Founder, The Informed Frontier

Jessica Miles is Founder of The Informed Frontier, a consulting firm that advises STM organizations on AI’s impact on knowledge discovery and dissemination. A scientist and longtime publishing and strategy leader, she has worked with executives and boards on strategic planning and transformation, and previously led strategy and investments in AI-powered research and discovery tools at Holtzbrinck. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Cell Press and Elsevier. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Johns Hopkins University Press. Jessica holds a PhD in Microbiology from Yale University and a BA in Biology and Communication of Science and Technology from Vanderbilt University.

Course Duration and Dates

The series consists of eight (8) weekly segments, each lasting 90 minutes. Specific dates are:

• March 26
• April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• May 7, 14

Each session will be recorded and links to that archived recording will be disseminated to course registrants within 2 business days of the close of the specific session.