just imagine

As one of my final assignments for my class we did a thought exercise on what the library of 2040 would look like according to us:

Oh man, I can get pretty excited imagining the library of the future…well at least my version of it. Of course I don’t know what will be new and hot in 2040 … but the #1 thing about this library is that it quickly adapts to meet the needs and trends of its community. It is NOT always 15 years behind the rest of society. It’s bold, it’s gutsy, and it’s not afraid to try. Here’s a bit about it:

It still has:

• lots of popular materials (whatever people want to get their hands on)
• knowledgeable staff (who are fun, happy and love to help people)
• great services that meet patrons needs
• great programs that meet patrons needs

New awesomeness:

• this library places priority on creating and maintaining a “third space” where the negativity of many libraries/librarians has been stripped out. Everything is patron focused instead of staff/budget/tradition focused.
• the services it offers are delivered in variety of convenient methods
• it has a thriving web presence that is a “first stop” for the community. Aside from the resources that library offers, it has conveniently collected and organized community information
• there are catalog kiosks in the stacks
• there are laptops that patrons can check out and use anywhere in the library
• there are designated quiet spaces - the rest of the library is NOT quiet
• is has an OPAC (or something else entirely) that doesn’t suck
• it’s either right next to a park or has a large lawn used for programs
• this library is a full partner with the rest of the community