The Future of Libraries
I recently attended a presentation by Mark Treadwell on the future of libraries. His presentation took us through the paradigms of education … book based > internet based > 2020AD.
The history of the book paradigm for learning began in the late 1400’s with the start of the printing press. Suddenly books became the fountain of youth for learning rather than oral traditions handed down from generation to generation. Learning consisted of remembering and knowing. Throughout this era, information was richly managed but poor with information. 500 years of limited knowledge.
Recently, in the mid-1980’s, a new internet based paradigm started. Learning became more than knowledge, it is now understanding. Assessments have become formative and summative. We are now information rich, but poorly managed.
Most recently we now are beginning to see the end of the internet based paradigm. by 2020 this shift will be complete. Internet will be available to everyone.
Publishers make a lot of money from fiction books. The likelihood of them disappearing anytime soon is unlikely. However, non-fiction information, such as textbooks and encyclopedias, will disappear from print. They will be accessed via the internet and wi-fi. One of the newest developing technologies is the flexiscreen book. A prototype is being developed now by Plastic Logic. The 21 second video is a great example.
Multimedia projectors will be in the covers of laptops.What is the role of the librarian? Libraries came about due to a limited resource landscape. That landscape is changing drastically right now. The role of the librarian today is
(1) to manage information … a lot of information. There are two ways to go about doing this. First is on a case to case basis with each teacher. Second, to grow the area of of research. Find books that are needed and create semantic fields. This will be the boom in the next 5-7 years.
(2) Today a library can be anywhere, anytime. Google aims to become the super-librarians of the future. In the next 2-3 years we will see Google come out with a research tool of pull down menus that will target a student country > type of schooling (American, British, AP, IB, IGCSE, etc.) > year in school > subject > topic > available books or media.
(3) The librarian needs to help synthesize information. Howard Gardner in his book, Five Minds for the Future, states that here are five kinds of mind sets we need for the future:
- a disciplined mind
- a synthesizing mind
- a creative mind
- a respectful mind
- an ethical mind
Finally, presentation will become the skill most needed in the future. The skill of being able to present and communicate one’s understanding of learning.
Filed under: Information, Research, Tech Resources, Telecommunications, Uncategorized | Tagged: , Five Minds for the Future, Google, Howard Gardner, Librarian, library, Mark Treadwell
Some quick questions. Does this mean the Library of the future will take less real estate space in schools? Will there be a need for a reference section?
Will future libraries require less real estate? Require, perhaps. I would think of it more as a reallocation of resources. Just think of how a new era of ambiance could be established. The library could be a rather inviting place in schools. Just make sure there is a beefy wireless available as well as enough power supply.
Reference section … good question. There are a lot of resources already available online. Not all, but perhaps most of what are needed. I think the reference section will come to life with the advent of the flexiscreen books. The idea is that they are wireless and will connect via any wi-fi resource. They are also being developed so one can write notes to oneself.
The laptop and hard drive are going to become extinct with the advent of ‘cloud’ memory … memory that is saved on the web, not ones hard drive. An example would be like Google Docs.
How cool are those softscreens! I’m totally ready to be living in a Neal Stephenson novel…
I’m thinking the library won’t be a place anymore – it’ll be ubiquitous, like our technology. All resources at your fingertips all the time through whatever handheld (or smaller) device we’ll be carrying around with us. Why would we want a place to store books when we’ll be able to store thousands on a Kindle (or it’s improved successor?) Why would we wait for textbooks/reference books if online resources are updated so much faster?
So, that does lead to the question of what the librarian will be doing in all this. I like the idea of helping students and teachers learn how to manage, synthesize and create new information to enhance, develop and demonstrate their learning.
I think the librarian will become much more like the technology facilitator, working with teachers individually and in groups, directly with students as needed, to ensure that all students and teachers are literate in essential 21st century skills. Embedding these skills into the core curriculum is a huge job, and definitely requires one with expertise in the field of traditional literacy as well as technological literacy.