“Artificial Intelligence is here. It’s not going to go away. We can hate it, we can refuse it, we can have doubts. But it’s here – and maybe we can use it for our own purposes and our own workflows in our institutions.” Dr Ines Vodopivec is convinced that AI (Artificial Intelligence) isn’t a novelty bolted onto library systems; it’s already reshaping users’ expectations and our definitions of data, and the workflows that connect the two.

Ines began her career in a Franciscan monastery in Slovenia, cataloguing 16th Century manuscripts, and has since then moved between librarianship, restoration and digitisation. Today, she is a digital‑heritage leader and Secretary General of AI4LAM whose career spans deputy directorship at Slovenia’s National and University Library, roles with UNESCO’s Memory of the World and the Europeana Network Association board.

In early February 2026, on a whirlwind tour of GLAM institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, she stopped by State Library Victoria to deliver a presentation that explored practical case studies for AI implementation in libraries across Europe and the US, including the National Library of Norway, Standford University Libraries and Bibliothèque National de France.

Alongside the promise of AI, she weighs ethics, access and the realities of staff skills, arguing for AI literacy and cross‑sector collaboration so libraries can remain trusted, user‑centred infrastructures.

&ldquo;Artificial Intelligence is here. It&rsquo;s not going to go away. We can hate it, we can refuse it, we can have doubts. But it&rsquo;s here &ndash; and maybe we can use it for our own purposes and our own workflows in our institutions.&rdquo;&nbsp;Dr Ines Vodopivec is convinced that AI (Artificial Intelligence) isn&rsquo;t a novelty bolted onto library systems; it&rsquo;s already reshaping users&rsquo; expectations and our definitions of data, and the workflows that connect the two.
Ines began her career in a Franciscan monastery in Slovenia, cataloguing 16th Century manuscripts, and has since then moved between librarianship, restoration and digitisation. Today, she is a digital‑heritage leader and Secretary General of <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ai4lam">AI4LAM</a> whose career spans deputy directorship at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_and_University_Library_of_Slovenia">Slovenia&rsquo;s National and University Library</a>, roles with <a href="https://en.unesco.org/programme/mow">UNESCO&rsquo;s Memory of the World</a> and the <a href="https://pro.europeana.eu/europeana-network-association">Europeana Network Association</a> board.
In early February 2026, on a whirlwind tour of GLAM institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, she stopped by State Library Victoria to deliver a presentation that explored practical case studies for AI implementation in libraries across Europe and the US, including the National Library of Norway, Standford University Libraries and Biblioth&egrave;que National de France.
Alongside the promise of AI, she weighs ethics, access and the realities of staff skills, arguing for AI literacy and cross‑sector collaboration so libraries can remain trusted, user‑centred infrastructures.

Explore emerging tech, digital experimentation and all things library-futures.

SLV LAB is State Library Victoria's prototyping and innovation lab. We experiment with technology to open access to collections, data and spaces. In our Conversations series, we discuss emerging technology, digital experimentation and library futures with artists, technologists and workers in the cultural sector.

Explore emerging tech, digital experimentation and all things library-futures.
SLV LAB is State Library Victoria's prototyping and innovation lab. We experiment with technology to open access to collections, data and spaces.&nbsp;In our Conversations series, we discuss emerging technology, digital experimentation and library futures with artists, technologists and workers in the cultural sector.

SLV LAB is State Library Victoria's prototyping and innovation lab. In our Conversations series, we discuss emerging technology, digital experimentation and library futures with artists, technologists and workers in the cultural sector.

SLV LAB Conversations

AI tools are rapidly changing how we use libraries. Digital heritage leader Ines Vodopivec explains how we can stay ahead of the game, using case studies from Europe and the US.