Thoughts for the future

I considered this article Cutting Edge: Technology’s Impact on Library Services.

What is the potential for the future?

The proliferation of technical innovations would enable organisations to “unite across international borders and work towards common goals” by embracing these new applications. This suggests that we will see more cooperation across the globe, helping libraries to have greater access to resources and academic content. Such advances may also “help libraries to preserve and mine their online collections more effectively,” thereby enhancing and redefining access for researchers (Wenborn, 2018).

Can the academic library become a digital space by itself? In a way, much of the future growth of academic libraries will rely on how technology evolves itself – especially around the internet and advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, we precisely differentiate our library spaces between those which are ‘physical’ (i.e. the house, the shelving, the equipment) and those which are ‘digital’ (i.e. the online discovery layer, the Virtual Learning Environment) (Barnett, 2017).

Nevertheless, one vision of a potential library – called Library 4.0 – has been presented by Noh (2015 as cited in Barnett, 2017) an example of what will happen at the point when the simple distinction between the physical and the digital spaces begins to break down (Barnett, 2017).

The idea above also coined as an open library is fresh and controversial, but many people profit from the same library facilities. These kinds of services are unmanaged and helpful to the communities and insure that library needs are met. Open libraries are used not to cut staffing hours, but to expand open hours. The libraries of Peter-borough are the first and best example of UK-based libraries of this kind. The ability to borrow books and access material beyond the regular opening hours is the most appreciated feature of such libraries .

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

The role of library professionals will inevitably be affected by this growing emphasis on the accessibility of digital resources. Librarians will be challenged to “learn new skills to enable their patrons to implement new learning, research and information technologies.”(Wenborn, 2018).

This statement sums it up, an important function of the librarian is to empower libraries for the future, and it starts with the efficient use of space, resources, and culture. Start with scanning the horizon for patterns to grow. Ask colleagues from libraries, attend conferences, and study the latest studies to remain in the loop. Then make a plan for how you’d like to obtain each piece of library technology. Keeping up to date on emerging developments in technology will help encourage your library to innovate and learn (Alexandria, 2019).