Libraries of the Future brochure - Jisc

8 | Libraries of the Future
Debating libraries of the future
In April 2009, in Oxford, JISC held a
high-profile debate on the future of
libraries. Expert speakers included
Sarah Thomas, head of Oxford’s
Bodleian Library, Robert Darnton,
head librarian at Harvard University,
and Santiago de la Mora, European
Partnerships Lead at Google UK.
In front of an audience in the lecture
theatre and a virtual audience in
Second Life, where the event was also
broadcast, and via the blogosphere and
Twitterverse, participants from across
the world considered some of the key
challenges that will shape the library of
the future if it is to survive.
The speakers tackled some of the
key issues of the campaign, from
the new skills required for libraries
to remain relevant and visible, to
fostering partnerships between
public and private; discerning users’
increasingly diverse needs; and how to
meet the future information needs of
researchers given the changing models
of scholarly communication.
Video of the full debate can be seen here:
www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/campaigns/
librariesofthefuture/debate
If you’re standing still, change
looks fast. If you go with the flow, it
will seem effortless. Libraries remain
thrilling places and the future of the
library is bright. Libraries will continue to evolve
but remain true to connecting knowledge-seekers
with the accumulated knowledge of the past for the
advancement of individuals and society.
Sarah Thomas, Bodleian’s librarian and director, Oxford University Library Services
The librarian of the future will
not come from the librarian of the
present. The librarian of the future
will be a revolutionary.
Peter Murray Rust, Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics