Ex Libris - Spring 2026
West Virginia University Libraries Magazine
Turning the Libraries Page with AI: Artificial intelligence is everywhere, including WVU and WVU Libraries. But how it’s being used might surprise.
Read Issue FeaturesLetter from the Dean
It is hard to go a day without hearing about artificial intelligence. Whether it be through economic, political, or educational news, AI is here and is impacting all of us. This year we are excited to host an exhibit that looks at AI’s impact on fields of study and professions. And because that impact is affecting all sectors, the exhibit is spread throughout our Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences Libraries in Morgantown. It’s our first Art in the Libraries exhibit to span all 3 spaces. It was great to have the West Virginia University Humanities Center partner with Art in the Libraries on a thought-provoking panel conversation around the topic as well.
We have always been an important contributor to the University’s land-grant mission. We do so in many ways, but perhaps most notably in preserving the history of the state. Beyond preserving history, we also do a lot to share it with our community through public and K-12 engagement. In this issue, we highlight some of those encounters and what they look like.
Preserving the history of the state is a complicated process that increasingly relies on technology and digitization. This work serves to further solidify preservation through multiple copies that can survive environmental disasters that print resources might not withstand. But it’s also essential for making the materials accessible to people who can’t come to our facilities or wouldn’t even know of the material’s existence without this digitization. Digital preservation is “invisible” work that has a great impact on the visibility of our collections. We are excited to shine a light on this work.
It is bittersweet for me that this will be the last issue of Ex Libris I have the opportunity to address as I prepare to retire and reflect on the many rewarding years I have spent with WVU Libraries. But I know I leave a great team with a diversity of talent who will continue advancing the work of our wonderful library system.
Karen Diaz
Dean of WVU Libraries
