More than 90 participants from different types of libraries, vendors, and library schools attended “Road Signs to the Future: What Trends Will Affect Your Library?” The program was held on Sunday, February 11, during the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting as part of the Symposium on the Future of Libraries. The interactive session was led by Dr. Sara Duvall, district chair of Secondary Library Services for Ann Arbor Public Schools.
To help participants think about the future, the Dr. Duvall used the Center for the Future of Libraries’ trend cards that list trends affecting libraries and organize them into broad categories. Participants were divided into small groups and asked to select a trend, discuss what signals of the selected trend they observe in their professional setting, and identify how their institutions can innovate to address it. At the end of the session, each group reported on their discussion. The trends that resonated with many groups were changing demographics and connected learning. Participants also noted that building partnerships among different types of libraries is a great way to innovate and provide new services to the community.
If you were not able to attend the session, presentation slides are available to registered conference attendees by logging into the conference scheduler. You can also visit the Center for the Future of the Libraries website for the list and description of trends relevant to libraries and librarianship. The Library of the Future blog is also a great resource.
