It all started with a conversation I had with the National Library of Greece a couple weeks ago. As they shared with me their plans for constructing a massive new National Library, a beautiful facility they hope to open next year, they started asking my thoughts on how to “future proof” their new facility.
As I advised them to operate it more as a laboratory for future libraries, where their mission will be to constantly test out new features, options, and systems, it occurred to me that very few people in the library world have any idea about where this current transition is taking us.
Over the past two decades, information has morphed and shifted into a myriad of different forms, going digital for the most part, with physical books and paper-based sources, as a percentage of the whole, all on the decline.
With digital comes an exponential increase in the number of ways we can access, manipulate, search, parse, combine, manage, and store each of the growing number of elements in the knowledge universe.
As a result, our expectations surrounding libraries and the activities and capabilities we expect from a local neighborhood information center, are also beginning to change.
Stepping through this list of possible activities, we should begin with the understanding that very few libraries, if any, will have all of them.
My intent in creating this list is to help those working with libraries to think about the multidimensional nature of our unfolding digital world. Certainly these changes will affect far more aspects of life than just libraries, but as a society we expect them to be ahead of the curve, helping us understand what we should be paying attention to.
As we add technologies like chatbots, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence to our libraries, activities will begin to coalesce around the strengths of particular communities and their regional differences. And that’s ok. In fact every library will need to operate as a working laboratory, testing new equipment, activities, and approaches to our ever-expanding info-verse to see where users gravitate.
Click on the boxes below to learn more.
What should libraries be?
How will we describe the nature of libraries in the future? Should they be:
• Baby friendly
• Pet friendly
• Food friendly
• Beer, wine, and alcohol friendly
• Event friendly
• Party friendly
(should they provide a list of approved catering companies)
• Homeless friendly
• Privacy advocate friendly
• Business friendly
• Casual user friendly
Should they have facilities for:
• Traveling museum exhibits
• Private meetings
• Aerobic reading
• Taking a shower
• Preparing and serving food
• Taking a nap
• Storing personal items
• Sending money or making payments
Final Thoughts
As a kid growing up, libraries were always that magical place full of ideas and possibilities. Future libraries will have all that and more.
Yes, they will be continually evolving over the coming decades and the key to our understanding them lies in our ability to expand our perspective and reframe our thinking about their role and purpose.
The list above is merely scratching the surface. Libraries can start with a formula, mission statement, policy plan, or lengthy surveys, but in the end libraries will evolve, morph, and transform on their own even without human intervention.
It’ll be an exciting thing to watch, and even more exciting to be part of.