Thomas Frey, futurist and executive director of the DaVinci Institute, worked with more than 300 library and municipal leaders recently to begin a conversation focused on libraries and cities preparing together for the future. The event was hosted by the Fraser Valley (British Columbia) Regional Library (FVRL).
There are a number of converging forces that will both rewrite the rules of how libraries do business and redefine the world of innovation. As we move forward to an increasingly untethered society, there is a need to find new ways to make connections that meet the extremely individualized needs of people in the communities that we serve.
Frey makes the point that “a well-connected community will be a vibrant community where ideas and energies are exchanged.” The evolution of technology has allowed us to be more connected than ever. It is now far easier to communicate with people all over the world, yet we can only interact physically with people and places locally. There is an opportunity here for libraries to transition from a centre of information into a centre of community.
There is a huge opportunity if we are willing to adapt our business model for the digital age. Technology is turning consumers into producers—3D printing is a prime example of this phenomenon. This evolution offers libraries the chance to transform our function and purpose to become a home to “informational experiences,” a place where great ideas happen, and people have the tools and facilities they need.
This doesn’t mean that we should altogether abandon traditional library services, but we need to think beyond them and align new projects with the problems, needs and desires of our customers in an ever-changing future. Libraries could and should become places of invention, innovation and daring ideas. As Frey asks “Why not use the library to attack big problems and find ingenious ways to improve the economy and society as a whole?”
- What does the next generation of libraries look like?
- What might we offer?
Perhaps your library might offer: production and audio/video studios; blogging/podcast stations; podcast studios; band practice rooms; computer gaming; virtual world stations; theatres; planetariums; art studios; exercise areas; time capsule rooms; search command centres; real time information walls; pet loaning programs; maker spaces, and so on. Libraries have the opportunity to spark a revolution of change by becoming the working laboratories of the community.
The following are a few of the questions posed to library and city leaders by Frey; consider these questions and have open discussions as your library evolves to meet the demands of a technology-driven future:
- What archaic systems do libraries currently employ that prevent us from doing great things?
- What are the core pieces of culture and community necessary to maintain a vital community in the future?
- How will a transition from consumers to producers affect your library?
- How can you develop a strategy around constant experimentation that works with your existing staff and doesn’t blow your budget?
- What new things can you try that will make you more relevant to your community?
- How can cities and libraries work together to build a better future?
Thanks to Jennifer Fehr and Scott Hargrove of FVRL for these notes.
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