Skip to navigation | Skip to main content | Skip to footer
Menu
Search the Staffnet siteSearch StaffNet
Search type

Library Intranet

AI and Ideas Adoption (AIIA) Directorate intranet pages refreshed

01 Oct 2025

The AI and Ideas Adoption (AIIA) Directorate drives innovation to keep the Library relevant in a rapidly changing environment. Find out more about how the three AIIA Teams collaborate to support the work of the Library.

The AIIA Directorate was established in 2024, in recognition of our Library's need to continually reimagine what it means to be a Library in a fast changing world. Recognising our need to maximise capacity for creativity, innovation and ideation when responding to disruptive, emergent technology, particularly AI. We are here to work with you; to co-develop ideas and transform them into solutions, whether in pursuit of service excellence, research impact or for a new collections experience.

Who are we and what do we do?

We deliver the above through our three AIIA Teams, working closely together in concert. We have refreshed our Team and people content on the Library intranet, which you can find linked below:

  • Digital Development - transforms the Library’s services through innovative communications approaches, bespoke software, experimentation with emerging technologies, enhancing user experience and enabling national and international digital collaboration.
  • ⁠Digital Service Innovation - strategically supports our digital Library platforms and processes, operates user-focused services and supports people (students and staff) getting the most out of technology through skills support and guidance. All delivered through highly collaborative sub-teams.
  • Digital Reach - tasked with extending the reach of our collections and extent of our impact across teaching, research, and civic society. The Team support the lifecycle for our digital collections; from digitisation to digital exhibitions through to long term preservation, and will be reviewing this ecosystem for future-readiness in the months ahead. 

All three Teams are tightly integrated across the Library. Our services and innovation work are delivered through partnerships internal to the University, such as with IT Services, and externally, with institutions including Oxford, Cambridge and Stanford, and entities such as library tech vendors.

Responding to Artificial Intelligence

AIIA has the responsibility to support, steer and in places lead the Library as Artificial Intelligence impacts every aspect of what we do in support of teaching, research and our civic responsibilities. We will be highlighting the AI related work we are supporting across the Library at a Library All-Staff event in early 2026. The AIIA Directorate will also be looking at how the Library supports innovation and enterprise, and what we do to develop that as Manchester 2035 and Imagine2035 take shape.

AIIA comms, connections and leadership

For further info and insight you can speak to any members of AIIA, particularly our DMT. AIIA is represented on Library Leadership Team by Amin Hussain, on Library Exec by Ciaran Talbot and on the wider Library Management Group by Ian Gifford. AIIA has recently been engaging with the Library's DMTs to consult on the refresh of our AIIA Operational Plan, and will continue to do so. The AIIA Directorate shares the ideas-led work we support externally through AIIA Insights and internally through the AIIA Quarterly Digest shared in the All-Staff Teams channel.