Currently, within my role as one of the librarians in the Vision Australia Library team, I am lucky enough to be at the very forefront of some incredibly interesting evolutions of technology, particularly in the accessibility and inclusiveness sector. Some of these technologies are truly groundbreaking, and although there has been occasion I have asked myself “Why hadn’t this already existed”, seeing firsthand the way that this technology use and integration and complementary implementation of social platform and information platforms with this technology changes lives, is remarkable.

I can definitely see there being more use on Smart technology, to help those with disabilities and impairments, further minimising the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”, and cementing the perpetual determination we as information professionals must attest to, that being, information is for everyone.
Through persistent and dedicated use of Accessibility Best Practice, alongside perpetually evolving technology, and the potential for more and more social media platforms to incorporate accessibility functionality into their design, the sky truly is the limit for Vision Australia and Vision Australia Library, and I am truly excited to see how programs, projects, books, and resources are being delivered to our patrons in 20 years from now.

The future of libraries and the information sector.

The future itself, I think there is only one stand-out trend in the world regarding the use of social media, and that is “More please”. As more and more social media platforms are released to the world, there is an interesting mix of both benefits and consequences that any information professional will need to keep in mind as their jobs evolve alongside the technology. The way that people communicate is an ever-changing thing, and information professionals sole premise is the efficient, neutral, and direct delivery of resources and information pertaining to any given users wants and needs. As the users change the way they talk, so much the way an information professional approaches technology and information change.
Where once dusty, academic journals were at the forefront of education, now one can refer to a professional bodies blog, facebook, and even twitter, to find out interesting and vital information that may not have been easy to communicate before.
A standout example of course, is memes. Whilst memes have of course been present for decades now, there is an exponentially increasing reliance by members of the general public on memes to convey not just information, but their opinions and emotional expression.

“A picture says a thousand words, a meme conveys a thousand thoughts.”

References

Banks, K. (2021). The library of 2030: what to expect from changes to physical design. Pressreader. https://blog.pressreader.com/libraries-institutions/2030-library-design-what-to-expect

Bhattacharya, M., & Parker, J. (n.d.) The future of information technology and cyber. Charles Sturt University – Insight. https://insight.study.csu.edu.au/future-of-information-technology/

Bureau of Internet Accessibility. (2020). Accessibility in 2030: What the Future of Tech Tells Us About the Future of Accessibility. AudioEye. https://www.boia.org/blog/accessibility-in-2030-what-the-future-of-tech-tells-us-about-the-future-of-accessibility

Hutchinson, A. (2021). The top 6 social media trends of 2021. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-top-6-social-media-trends-of-2021-infographic/595171/

Word Count: 410