The future of U.S. libraries

Washington, DC, April 23, 2007—More than 150 librarians filled the L. Quincy Mumford Room at the Library of Congress on April 12 for the annual Joint Spring Workshop of Washington, DC Libraries. The topic for this year’s event was “Envisioning the Future: What Will Your Library Look Like in 5, 10, or 20 Years?”

As the keynote speaker, futurist Andy Hines set the stage early for the day’s events by announcing: “You are facing the greatest transformation in your industry, perhaps since the fourth century when Alexander the Great founded the Royal Library of Alexandria.”

New threats also bring new opportunities, he explained. “Therefore, your task today will be to craft a strategy that will guide policy so your industry can explore new markets, products, and services—and ultimately meet emerging customer needs,” said Hines.

Throughout the workshop, he shared strategies and ideas from what he calls his “futures toolbox” to provide the librarians with ideas for how they might prepare for the future.

“The process begins by outlining what changes are happening now, and brainstorming future scenarios that could emerge,” Hines offered. “This starts by identifying trends, values, socio-cultural and technological developments, and finally, understanding the work and educational background of your customers.”

Hines taught the group about one of his favorite futurist tools: the futures wheel, which enables groups to visualize a problem and logically think through possible solutions. “Start with the challenge, then think how that impacts your industry, your organization, and finally, you,” he advised. “Consider the things you absolutely must attend to. Then consider the events and changes that may not happen, but which would be important if they did, and come up with a Plan B, just in case.”

Finally, he gave the librarians an opportunity to apply what they had learned. He divided the audience into small groups and gave each one an assignment: to answer questions ranging from, “What are the implications of complete digitalization?” to “How do we make sure libraries stay relevant?”

Roberta Shaffer, executive director of the resource-sharing consortium of federal agency libraries FLICC and FEDLINK, believes that U.S. libraries—and librarians—need to be much more cognizant of macro-trends and intersecting planning techniques.

“Andy’s speech certainly helped us bring all of the issues facing our industry to the fore. His discussion regarding thinking about the future, and viewing the problem as a futurist would, enabled us to consider how we might position ourselves for continued success.”

Social Technologies is an international research and consulting firm specializing in the integration of foresight, strategy, and innovation. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Social Technologies has offices in London and Shanghai, and a client list that includes Global 1,000 corporations, government agencies, and major nonprofits, as well as a global network of analysts and consultants.

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This release was published on openPR.