_{(Altmann, 2018)}

Write a 400 word analysis that addresses the following issues:

What is the potential for the future of an organisation you are familiar with?

What impact might the future have on us as information professionals?

Across the world, educational practices are reforming in response to the challenges and demands of a rapidly changing, globalised, and increasing technological 21^st century, that delivers a complex information landscape. A school’s purpose is to prepare its students for their professional, social and personal future by providing an education that enables students to be informed citizens and successful lifelong learners (van de Oudeweetering & Voogt, 2018). Therefore, it is imperative that school libraries respond to innovation and change by providing a physical and virtual learning environment, where all learners in the community can thrive and experience success. In recent times, we have seen the types of information and resources included in collections change as well as the way users access information.

Hussain (2020) outlines some of the new cutting-edge technologies that are being adopted by libraries for learning, research and information. As I scroll through the list there are many that I can see as being a perfect fit and useful to users in a school setting. Expanding library services and programs to include mixed reality, 3D printing, code clubs, digital storytelling, makerspaces and educational streaming services are ways to move from the traditional idea of a library. Although not all being pertinent to school libraries, the likes of drones, robots and driverless cars have opened my eyes to the many possibilities that new technologies can offer information agencies and professionals and what may need to be considered in the future.

Whilst libraries need to evolve with the times, there is always an eagerness to jump onto the new best thing. I believe information professionals need to consider what is best suited to their community and question whether the new or emerging technologies will not only serve its users but also be a sustainable practice. A few years ago, my school invested in a class set, one between two, of virtual reality kits and whilst it was very exciting at the time, the sheer cost to maintain and update the software and equipment saw these kits quickly become obsolete.

Technology changes rapidly, can be costly and is not going away anytime soon. This does not mean we ignore it. The recommendations outlined in the article of experimenting, seeking a mentor, having a go, creating something as well as immersing yourself in technology to learn is sound advice for information professionals in order to be relevant, up to date and to provide a service that is appropriate now and into the future. As a teacher librarian my focus is to continue to embrace and integrate technology, collaborate with users and develop virtual environments to ensure the school library continues to evolve and provides the best services possible to meet the needs of the community. A teacher librarian’s role has never looked so good and so exciting.

References

Altmann, G. (2018). [man’s head silhouette]. Pixabay. https://tinyurl.com/mr2casep

Hussain, A. (2020). Cutting edge: Technology’s impact on library services. In Innovations in Designing and marketing of Information Services (pp. 16-27). IGI Global.

van de Oudeweetering, K., & Voogt, J. (2018). Teachers’ conceptualization and enactment of twenty-first century competences: exploring dimensions for new curricula. The Curriculum Journal, 29(1), 116-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2017.1369136