Forecast the library of the future

On my travels this week I had the pleasure of visiting Sheila Webber, Department of Information Studies at the University of Sheffield. Apart from discussing her two passions of information literacy and learning in Second Life (of which there will be more to come). I had the opportunity for a whistle-stop tour of their new Information Commons building. It’s impressive; light, airy and spacious, even though it’s packed full with learning resources. Significantly, a large amount of room is given over to hardware and apparently there is even a shower for scholars should brains start to overheat. The students, quite rightly, look like they are in their element.

All this ties in nicely with a recently launched initiative called The Really Modern Library. IWR columnist David Tebbutt touched on this briefly last month, in case you haven’t heard about it, the joint project is being developed between the Institute for the Future of the Book (if:book) and the Digital Library Federation. There are a series of meetings being held throughout October, in LA, London and New York. The team behind this are currently asking for ideas and comments on their blog.

Initially, the scheme hopes to open up the debate on mass digitisation of analogue works. This the project leaders believe, means addressing the tricky task of maintaining the preservation of analogue material but also respectfully utilising its potential in a digital universe.

By considering the prospective challenges and opportunities for imagining the library of the future, the project organisers want to nurture innovation and creativity. Up for consideration will be ideas on new interfaces, designs and models of library delivery and management of information. Such ideas could range from how networked collections will be accessed and used, to developing new tools and ways of approaching analogue work in a digitised world.

Ultimately how that will benefit libraries, publishers, academia and the arts is central to the debate.

The if:book blog goes into much greater detail. They want ideas from a broad range of professions adding good suggestions to the mix. As librarians, information professionals and the like, I’m sure you will have some pretty good thoughts of your own that you know should be heard. The blog is accessible here.