In May of 2025, the Academic Business Library Directors participated in a Joint Meeting (JMV) with business librarians from around the world, including members of the business librarian organization of Africa, the Asia Pacific Business School Librarians’ Group (APBSLG), the Latin American Council of Management Schools (CLADEA), and the European Business School Librarians’ Group (EBSLG). I was thrilled to attend this meeting in Vienna, Austria at the Vienna University for Economics & Business (WU). Keynote presentations included a discussion of uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation, a hands-on workshop on possible future roles for libraries in an AI-driven world, and (my personal favorite, I confess) a leadership workshop where the needs of an orchestra were used as a metaphor for balanced leadership and we got to both a) try our hand at being a conductor (I did not excel, sadly), and b) literally sit within an orchestra as they played pieces to emphasize key takeaways.

Lightning talks covered broad ground including embedded librarianship, interculturalism, experiential learning, historiographical projects and a discussion of how we can enhance business data contracts for academic research. There were also posters to enjoy and updates and presentations from our vendors and, of course, a visit to the Australian National Library. The gala evening at the Palais Pallavicini and an opportunity to learn a Viennese Waltz was one of the best conference evenings I have yet to enjoy. Many thanks to our hosts and everyone who made the event possible and all those who shared with us their knowledge and experience.

Our Opinions & Thought Pieces article this issue is actually adapted from one of the JMV presentations. In “‘The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.’ Advocating for Change: Rethinking Business Data Contracts for Academic Research”, Amar Nazir of The University of Manchester describes “the contractual tug-of-war that plays out between researcher needs and business data supplier protections” and discusses what he’s done to try to address this area of friction in his negotiations with business data vendors. Amar advocates for a collaborative approach with vendors, which acknowledges their concerns but educates them on the unique needs of academic researchers and advocates for realistic licensing terms for our users. He focuses on three areas in this article: data retention, liability and how to address ‘the AI conundrum’ aka how can we advocate for licenses that allow generative AI research and machine learning but protect the integrity of vendors’ datasets? There may be no perfect solution to these complex issues, but I think Amar’s article gives us some very solid places to start.

As we do every year, Ticker is also happy to share highlights from the unpublished ABLD Year in Review Report. Thanks to Summer Krstevska and Shikha Sharma for compiling both the report and the article “Academic Business Library Directors: Trends and Highlights from the 2024-2025 Year-in-Review” for us! Two of the most dominant themes in the review this year are the many ways libraries are exploring possible uses of AI to advance our research support missions and how libraries are addressing increased financial uncertainty. Many libraries have staff participating in sessions focused on building AI skills, and a few libraries are establishing, or participating in, entirely new divisions to explore AI’s integration into their campus curriculums. This might just be one more way, however, that libraries are supporting expanding programs and demands with existing, or even reduced, staff and support. As in many previous years, libraries are addressing changing physical spaces, staff, and collections. The only constant is change. (Not even the rate of change itself seems constant anymore, does it?)

“Adventures in Accessibility: Risk Management and Vendor Relations” by Jason Sakoloff and Hana Levy is also an adaptation of a discussion at an ABLD meeting, our Annual Business Meeting, which took place in June. At that meeting, Jason gave a presentation to the group on what the University of Washington has been doing to push for improved accessibility in their databases. If it hasn’t already become best practice in light of inclusivity concerns, the issue is likely to impact many libraries statutorily as well, since the U.S. Department of Justice issued an update to the Title II ruling of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires public institutions to comply with accessibility standards by April 24, 2026. The University of Washington has developed a renewal workflow that includes Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs), keyboard navigation test assessments, and standard language in correspondence that establishes the University as having a firm but collaborative stance in helping database vendors improve the accessibility of their products, or, potentially, walking away from subscriptions, if they can’t or do not want to improve the accessibility of their resources.

Our Feature Article for this issue focuses on the work of Leticia Camacho, Maggie Marchant and Jessica Tuwun at Brigham Young University to adapt their embedded librarianship in a key business course over time. In “Moving Through the Ages: Adapting an Embedded Business Communication Course Through Two Decades of Changes” the authors discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the many different instruction methods they have tried over the years including one-shot, lecture, active learning, and flipped classroom methods, as well as exploring the strengths and weaknesses of both virtual and in-person teaching modes. The authors also share a decision-making matrix they have used to weigh the various factors they consider essential to successful embedded librarianship, helping them to adapt their program in light of previous iterations over time. This case study emphasizes the importance of adaptability and optimizing instruction in light of both effectiveness and efficiency. (No library has unlimited librarians, nor does any librarian have unlimited time.)

In “Generating Financial Literacy: Exploring Personal Finance Information Discovery through Large Language Models and Short Form Content”, Emily Mross of Penn State University and Georgette Nicolosi of the Missouri University of Science & Technology point out that many technology platforms now encourage users to query their artificial intelligence tools for advice on a wide range of personal and professional issues. But do these tools provide good personal financial guidance? To explore the issue, the authors asked ChatGPT and CoPilot three common questions based on their experience working on financial literary issues with college students. They found the tools gave acceptable basic answers but did not encourage users to seek additional help from either financial or information professionals. Librarians may want to not only be aware of the limitations of these tools but also consider offering preemptive learning opportunities to their patrons focused on the pros and cons of these models.

Finally, Benjamin Hall of the University of Southern California and Elizabeth Price of James Madison University share with us tips for pursuing cost sharing options in “Deal or no deal? Tips for cost sharing business data in higher education”. Tips include pursuing a greater understanding of when cost sharing makes sense, assessing potential challenges of cost sharing, building trust by being transparent about library operations, considering various cost sharing structure options including modular pricing, accounting for ‘soft costs’ and more. Memoranda of understanding (MOUs) are highlighted as an important relationship clarifying tool and essential components and even sample language are discussed and provided. Other logistical considerations include establishing a centralized documentation system, considering processes for renewal and remembering to regularly assess the partnership’s value. You will not want for tips, if you read this Tips article.

Thank you to our Section Editors, Copy Editors, Layout Editor and all our fabulous authors for making this issue possible!