AI and Digital Leadership: Transforming Libraries, Archives, and Museums for the Future

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Angela I. Fritz (University of Iowa)

AI and Digital Leadership

Transforming Libraries, Archives, and Museums for the Future

Angela I. Fritz (University of Iowa)

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Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
11 December 2025

Library, archive & information management; Management: leadership & motivation; Artificial intelligence

Explore how GLAM institutions are navigating new leadership styles and organizational frameworks to help meet the challenges posed by a digital society.

During this time of digital transformation, galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) are facing a generational challenge that calls on them to rethink their roles and responsibilities, re-evaluate policies and practices, and re-envision creative management and use of their collections. While AI is not new for GLAMs, the rapid development of generative AI has accelerated the pace of change along with a host of risks and benefits. For cultural heritage institutions, the stakes for implementing emerging AI technologies are high as GLAMs navigate questions relating to cultural relevance, limited resources and expanding backlogs of digital collections. GLAMs must also contend with the major intellectual and social implications for supporting entirely new approaches to learning, scholarship and public engagement. As GLAMs strive to keep pace, this book turns to explore how cultural heritage institutions can draw on a model of digital leadership to help them meet the challenges posed by the ethical implementation and use of generative AI in the stewardship of distinctive collections. Although digital leadership has been widely written about in the fields of business management, communication and marketing and information technology, it has not yet been addressed in a book format for the GLAM sector. In addition to discussing the basic definition and concepts of digital leadership, this book explores digital leadership as a critical framework for GLAMs to advance digital stewardship programs, professional development and staff training initiatives, and institutional advocacy in the age of AI.

By: Angela I. Fritz (University of Iowa)
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781538191071
ISBN 10: 1538191075
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 11 December 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Chapter 1: Digital Leadership in Context Chapter 2: Leading with Ethical AI Chapter 3: “Bridging Analog and Digital Worlds:” Organizational Design and AI Integration Chapter 4: Prioritizing a People-First Culture for Training and Development in the Age of AI Chapter 5: “Toward a Shared Digital Future:” Advocacy for Impact Conclusion Bibliography

Angela I. Fritz is Assistant Professor at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa. Previously, she has held leadership positions at the Wisconsin Historical Society, the University of Notre Dame, and the Office of Presidential Libraries and Museums at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Dr. Fritz has a PhD in American history and public history from Loyola University-Chicago, a master’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a master’s degree in library science with a concentration in archival administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to teaching classes on archives and digital preservation, Dr. Fritz has engaged in several national service roles relating to digital archives outreach, leadership development, and digital preservation advocacy. She has conducted classes and workshops for the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), and the National Council on Public History (NCPH), and she is the author of Sustainable Enterprise Strategies for Optimizing Digital Stewardship: A Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Museums.

Reviews for AI and Digital Leadership: Transforming Libraries, Archives, and Museums for the Future

Fritz offers GLAM professionals an aspirational and achievable AI roadmap. This well-organized book outlines a human-centric approach for AI capacity in GLAMs—cultivate digital leadership from within, develop shared standards and networks, invest in outreach and advocacy, take social responsibility for the effects of AI, and focus on collection stewardship. -- Aaron D. Purcell, Director of Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, USA At a moment when digital transformation is reshaping every corner of the GLAM landscape, this book offers the clarity and conviction the field urgently needs. It challenges leaders to move beyond technology for its own sake and to embrace a people-centered, ethically grounded vision of digital stewardship. With remarkable insight, the author charts a path for integrating innovation and responsibility in an age defined by AI. This is more than a guide—it’s an essential compass for anyone committed to shaping the next generation of GLAM leadership in a connected, intelligent world. -- Patricia C. Franks, Professor Emerita San Jose State University, USA, editor of The Handbook of Archival Practice