Library Trends and the iSchool at Illinois are pleased to present an online symposium that expands upon themes from 74 (4) “Compelling Tensions in LIS,” guest edited by Katherine M. Wisser.
Africa S. Hands, assistant professor from the University at Buffalo, will deliver the keynote address, followed by a Q & A session. The afternoon will continue with three panel sessions featuring Wisser, issue authors, and special guests.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
12:00–4:00 p.m. US Central
Additional information and registration
Keynote address
12:00–12:50 p.m.
- Africa S. Hands, Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo
What Drives a Compelling Tension?
1:00–1:50 p.m.
Guest editor Wisser will introduce the driving idea behind this issue of Library Trends, Thomas Kuhn’s argument that structural tensions spur revolutions within a discipline, and authors Shin, tripp, and McDaniel will discuss the compelling tensions, and potential revolutions, they explored in their articles.
- Katherine M. Wisser, moderator, Introduction: Compelling Tensions in Library and Information Science
- Heejoung Shin, Shifting Politics of Openness and Regulation: Queer Theory, Protest Media and Podcasting Initiatives
- sam hidde tripp and Sarah McDaniel, Intellectual Freedom in Carceral Spaces: Exploring Tensions in Abolitionist Librarianship
Trauma in Archives: The Compelling Tensions Exposed
2:00–2:50 p.m.
Starting with Wiles’ article, a panel of archivists will discuss how we remember, document, and commemorate traumatic events.
- Bradley Wiles, moderator, Remembering Now to Forget Later: Trauma, Archives, and the Tension of Commemoration
- Marika Cifor, University of Washington
- Rachel Weiher, Macalester College
- Arlene Schmuland, University of Alaska Anchorage
AI and LIS: Irresolvable Tensions?
3:00–3:50 p.m.
Led by Baer, a group of issue authors will examine how AI has reinvigorated long-standing tensions, and sparked new tensions, in LIS and speculate on what the future might bring.
- Andrea Baer, moderator, When is Critical AI Literacy Critical? Critical AI Literacy Discourse and Principles of Critical Pedagogy
- Jennifer A. W. Stubbs and Annie Sollinger, Skeptically Defining the “Post-Reference Epoch”
- Heidi M. Winkler, “Artificial Intelligence, Authentic Reactions: Tensions Between Digital Libraries and Generative AI”
Additional information and registration can be found at the Symposium website.
About Library Trends
Library Trends, a premier journal of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is an essential tool for librarians and educators alike. Every issue explores critical trends in professional librarianship, and includes practical applications, thorough analyses, and literature reviews. Each issue brings readers in-depth, thoughtful articles, all exploring a specific topic of professional interest. Library Trends is published quarterly.