The Public Library Association (PLA) announced on December 23 the launch of a Transformative Technology Task Force “to advise the association on the evolving role and impacts of transformative technology on library work and to identify and recommend priority training topics relevant to public library staff and users,” according to an announcement from the association. PLA’s board of directors had voted in June to sunset the organizations previous Technology Advisory Group and have a new task force focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in public libraries for its first two years.

The new task force began its work last month with nine PLA members, who will be led by PLA President Dr. Brandy McNeil:

• Michael Bartolomeo, Emerging Technology Librarian, South Huntington Public Library, NY, and member of the PLA Digital Literacy Committee
• Linda Braun, Principal, The LEO Group
• Dianne Connery, Development Director, Pottsboro Library, TX
• Mike Driskell, Director, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL
• Toby Greenwalt, Principal, Flywheel Strategies, PA
• Morgan Hanks, User Experience Manager, Kent District Library, MI
• Nick Tanzi, Assistant Director, South Huntington Public Library, NY
• Anthony White, Director of Innovation and Technology, Arapahoe Libraries, CO

“PLA has assembled a powerhouse group to help shape how public libraries approach innovation, ethics, and the opportunities of an AI-powered world,” McNeil said in an announcement. “We have big work to do with and for public library colleagues in the coming year.”

In a 2025 survey of public librarians—including PLA members and non-members—respondents noted that AI was one of their top five priority areas for professional development. This task force “will curate and develop resources focused on practical solutions, best practices, skills building, and community engagement strategies,” according to the announcement.

Task force members will have an online discussion in a PLA town hall on Zoom on January 27 at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, discussing how libraries and library workers might assume leadership roles in relation to AI in their communities, and how PLA can be a resource and a partner to public libraries in those efforts.

PLA also plans to feature several AI programs during its upcoming 2026 conference April 1–3 in Minneapolis, including AI Book Clubs and Digital Literacy for Older Adults; Prompting AI to Harness Your Grant Proposal; Trust & Verify: Information Accuracy in the Age of SEO, AI, and Algorithms; From Prompt to Productivity: Build AI Agents to Boost Program Engagement; and AI with Heart: Serving People in a Digital Age.