In this 45 minute podcast, Nick Poole, CILIP CEO covers the evolution of public libraries and calls for new approaches from government in light of the digital and AI revolutions that are already transforming how we access and understand information.

Nick challenges the stereotypes non-librarians still hold of libraries as places that hold knowledge and books, and talks about the library revolution that enabled millions of people free and open access to never-before-seen information.

He links this to the digital revolution that has already been taking place, and its next iteration of AI, and how and why it is and isn’t a threat.

There’s an interesting case study about how librarians brought books out of the library and got some of the best engagement their library had seen, and he goes into detail about how libraries are best placed to fight misinformation.

Listen to the podcast here

Please note the podcast refers to Nick as Chair of Wikimedia UK, a position which he has not held since 2021.