I was asked to meet with the Building Committee of my local public library to share some thoughts on what the impact of technology will be in 20 years. They wanted to know the types of things that may be coming in order to plan space, services, and so on. I did not feel comfortable making predictions for such a fast-changing area, but was able to share some thoughts about the future digitizing of materials, the gadgets that might be available, and the services that the public library will probably be offering.
My suggestions were met with both awe and discomfort, as I described my vision of what the public libary of 2026 might look like. When I left the meeting, I had some feelings of self-doubt. Was I way out of line with my ideas? When I got home, I did a little research on what others think, and I realized that I was not too brash in my statements.
I found a most interesting article, by Thomas Frey, the Director of the DaVinci Institute, that I would like to share. It certainly has caused me to think more deeply about this topic!
The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation
http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=120
In addition, an NPR program, aired in February 2006, deals with some of the same issues.
"If a Library is Bookless, What's In It?"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5235518
Thoughts and comments?
Kathy Schrock
