The Library of the Future Versus The Future of Libraries

who are the best writers/thinkers/doers on future of academic research libraries? I need names and links folks.

— Chris Bourg (@mchris4duke) August 22, 2015

I've long contended that I'm not a library futurist, so I knew my name wouldn't come up in response to that tweet. I've always kind of poopooed futurists. "I have enough to worry about in the here and now," I might have quipped. Besides, I've seen people who try to sell the future of libraries who haven't worked in an actual library in decades, if they ever did. I wanted to distance myself from that crowd if nothing else.

But then Chris sent her request, and the names/twitter handles I saw in response got me thinking. Some of the names that were sent her way are people I respect and even like, but I hadn't associated any of them with "library future." Even better, nobody named any of those "futurists" I've made fun of in the past. So when someone I respect started looking into a topic I'd eschewed, it gave me pause.

It's not like I avoid thinking about the future of my library. I wrote a six year assessment plan (we are currently in the second year). I led the library through the process of writing a new strategic plan - something specifically designed to be practical and forward looking. I think about the immediate future of my library every day, whether we're flooding or working on collection development or just helping new freshmen log onto our computers for the first time.

So why do I have this disconnect? Why do I work toward the future of my own library but still resist the idea of it on a broader scale? Beyond the personalities and reputations of some of those "futurists," I mean. I think part of my resistance is because of how unpredictable the future can be. I remember a director for whom I used to work talking eloquently about how the architects of that library had created a space for the higher ed world right before laptops became ubiquitous. In other words: not enough outlets. Something that simple made that building a library of the past, and how can you predict the unpredictable?

But back to the thoughts inspired by Chris' tweet... I realized that I need to find a middle ground. I need to be conscious of how I'm working towards the future without getting unrealistic or thinking I know it all. I could easily get lost in dreams of the Starfleet Academy Library or that planet sized library from Doctor Who (minus the vashta nerada). I think maybe finding the middle ground is about looking in the middle distance. I am fairly certain of what I'll be doing tomorrow (paying bills, looking through student worker applications, answering emails). I have no idea what I'll be doing in ten years, although I suspect it will still have to do with libraries in some way. I think what I'm going to have to do is let my imagination wander a few years ahead. I need to think about the future of libraries instead of libraries of the future. I know I'll have to think about a utopian, a dystopian, and a realistic image. I need to think about the future of libraries instead of The Library of the Future. One thing I know for sure: libraries will always be about the people we serve. We might pretend that libraries have been about books, but the artifacts with which we operate are misleading. Libraries are about people.

How about you? How do you imagine the future of libraries?

Interview Posts, Take 1

I got some great suggestions on last week's post, and I want to get working on them right away. I particularly like the idea of interview posts for people who are too busy to write a full blog post (this came from Megan Brooks, who's written for LtaYL twice in the past). Here is my first stab at questions to ask that would be applicable pretty much across the board (some very obviously stolen from the Lifehacker "How I Work" series and others borrowed from James Lipton), but I'd love y'all's feedback and suggestions. Also, I'd love to hear who I should ask. I'll probably put myself up on the chopping block first, to give others a chance to think about it.

Biographical

1. Name?
2. Current job?
3. How long have you been in the field?

How Do You Work?

1. What is your office/workspace like?
2. How do you organize your days?
3. What do you spend most of your time doing?
4. What is a typical day like for you?
5. What are you reading right now?
6. What's the best professional advice you've ever received?
7. What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?

Inside the Library Studio 

1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?
4. What profession would you never want to attempt?

Everything Else

1. What superpower do wish you had?
2. What are you most proud of in your career?
3. If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.
4. When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?
5. Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Okay, so - what should I add? Subtract? Change? I have an idea of who to ask first (there are a couple of people who've been promising to write for me for a while), but who would you like to see answer these questions?

And please, don't worry. Nobody will be thrown off The Bridge of Death if they get a question wrong.