There are no set activities for this Module so please add your thoughts about the future of school libraries and the use of metadata into the future.

I can speculate that the future of school libraries is likely to involve a continued focus on digital resources and technology. The use of digital resources such as e-books, databases, and multimedia will increase in innovative library collections. Metadata, which is information about information, will also continue to play an important role in the organisation and discovery of resources in school libraries. With the sheer vast amount of information available online these days, it is becoming more important to have robust metadata to help users find the resources they need quickly and with ease. In particular, I think we will see continued development and use of metadata standards such as MARC, Dublin Core, and BIBFRAME.

One trend that I am interested in is the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. In digital literacy classes I have been exploring how such algorithms can be used to analyse user behaviour and make recommendations for resources based on user interests and past usage. Students also find all of this very interesting so it makes for some good class discussion! I can see possibilities for libraries using metadata and AI to improve resource discovery and organisation. I think  the fundamental role of school libraries in promoting literacy, life skills, and critical thinking will not change, and print books will also continue to have their own special place for many patrons.