Future of Libraries: Engines of their

CommunitiesPortsmouth Public Library Presentation

November 15, 2016Stephen Abram, MLS

Federation of Ontario Public LibrariesLighthouse Consulting Inc.

Alone Together Collaboration

Let’s get something out of the way . . .

Dead Wrong ThinkingPublic libraries are growing, doing better than ever.

The Internet and digital world is an opportunity that libraries excel on riding this mechanical bull!

21st Century Vital LiteraciesCritical 21st century skills, all agree on four critical areas for development: Collaboration and teamwork Creativity and imagination Critical thinking Problem solving Flexibility and adaptability Global and cultural awareness Information literacy Leadership Civic literacy and citizenship Oral and written communication skills Social responsibility and ethics Technology literacy Initiative

Literacy:Reading literacyPrint literacyComputer literacyWeb literacyDevice literacyTool literacyInformation literacyCognitive literacy Credulit

y

“Information literacy is a crucial skill in the pursuit of knowledge. It

involves recognizing when information is needed and

being able to efficiently locate, accurately evaluate, effectively use,

and clearly communicate information in

various formats.”Wesleyan University

Proven Public Library ImpactThe Public Library value proposition is strong and includes (but isn’t limited to):

Excellent Return on Investment Strong Economic Development Great Employment Support Welcoming New Americans Provable Early Literacy Development Ongoing Support for Formal Education and Homework Help Serve the whole community equitably Affordable access to community resources Access to Government Services and e-government Questions Deserve Quality Answers Support Cultural Vitality Recognized and Valued Leisure Activities for the majority

Current Proofs on Having an Impact (just a selection) Fiction and Empathy School Readiness College Readiness Social Isolation Different Abilities Economic Impact Entrepreneurs Lifelong learning, adult education, e-learning Access of all kinds – leveling the playing field

“How will we describe the nature of libraries in the future? Should they be:

Baby friendly Pet friendly Food friendly Beer, wine, and alcohol friendly Event friendly Party friendly (should they provide a list of approved catering

companies) Homeless friendly Privacy advocate friendly Business friendly Casual user friendly

Should they have facilities for:

Traveling museum exhibits Private meetings Aerobic reading Taking a shower Preparing and serving food Taking a nap Storing personal items Sending money or making payments

Traditional Information Archive – Over the years libraries have expanded their collections. Certainly not all are large enough to manage every item on this list, but most have a majority of them.

Print books Digital books Audio books Newspapers Magazines Music Movies TV shows Radio broadcasts Presentations Courseware

Audio materials (discs, tapes, talking books and other recorded formats)

Maps Microforms Videos (film, television broadcasts,

DVDs) Sheet music Photographs, posters, prints, and

drawings Apps and mobile apps Social media archives Artwork

Non-Traditional ArchivesLibraries also have an obligation to archive their local communities. Some of the non-traditional archives may include: 1. History of every business in region. 2. Overview of every graduating class in every school. 3. History of local infrastructure including bridges, tunnels, waterlines, sewer lines,

fire stations, water towers, police stations, schools, etc. 4. Aging of the community done through sequential photo queues. 5. The sound of the city in the form of audio recordings over the years. 6. Cultural influence timelines. 7. Local archive for emergency equipment such as emergency generators when the

power does down, or emergency lighting, emergency cots, etc. 8. Record of every law, ordinance, and regulation affecting every member of the

community

Search Command CentersMost people entering a library are searching for something. Over the coming years search technology will become increasing complicated, but at the same time we will have far more capabilities to use in our search.Video Search – When it comes to video search, we still struggle with attributes like context, style, circumstances, and a variety of situational details. Examples of future video searches may include: 9. Bring up every public video of Jane Doe (average person) between 1980 and 2005 when she was in

Manchester, England. 10. What are the top 20 most watched videos of an audience laughing at someone who is in the process of

dying from a fatal accident? 11. Show me the top 10 Twitch tournament videos of Korean players playing Destiny version 4.3. 12. What are the 12 common features of low grossing movies produced by Paramount Pictures in 1978?

Drone Search – It may seem unlikely today that libraries will have their own fleets of drones to deploy for physical search inquiries, but that will change over the coming decades.

13. Using thermo scans, what houses in my city have the least amount of insulation in the attic? 14. Where is the hole in the fence that is allowing livestock to enter the Eagle Ridge Neighborhood and cause

damage? 15. Which areas in my city are least likely to get flooded when the river overflows its banks? 16. Give me a 360-degree views of the three major sculptures erected in my city last year?

Demographic Search – The demographics of the world is changing and we need better tools for monitoring it. 17. Show me a heatmap of the world, broken down by 1 square mile regions, showing highest to lowest

birthrates 18. What regions of the world are most like Winnipeg, Canada (pick any city) based on climate, age

demographics, political views, education levels, scientific interests, personal health, etc. 19. Who is the most knowledgeable person in the world on acidic soil types? 20. Show me a decade-by-decade breakdown of increasing average incomes in Africa since 1900.

Complex SearchesOver time search engines will deploy a combination of techniques for finding the answer to complex questions. 21. Interactive map of the world highlighting regions currently at

10 degrees Celsius? 22. What world leaders are currently in NYC? 23. Interactive map of butterfly migrations in Panama? 24. What movie has Harrison Ford wearing a blue sweater while

chewing gum? 25. Why is this object (hold up an object) important? 26. How famous am I compared to other people in my

community? 27. Timeline Search – How have recipes for bread changed over

the past 300 years? 28. Who else in the world has a disease like mine?

Future searches

As we enter the age of quantum computing, far more search attributes will become quantifiable. Someday soon we will be able to search for: 29. Smells 30. Tastes 31. Harmonic vibrations 32. Reflectivity 33. Specific gravity 34. Chemical composition 35. Textures 36. Viscosity

Fussy search features

37. Looks like 38. Smells like 39. Feels like 40. Tastes like 41. Sounds like 42. Absorbs like 43. Echoes like 44. Coats like

Spherical Displays

Spherical displays in the future will have the ability to give an accurate perspective of planet earth. 45. Track pollution flows across the ocean in real-time 46. Monitor major hurricanes from satellites and track new

developments on a minute by minute basis 47. Book a complex travel itinerary from a spherical perspective 48. Show how warm water currents have changed over the past two

decades.

Maker SpacesLibraries are rapidly transitioning from a place for passive visitors who consume information to active participants who would much rather produce it. Areas to include: 49. Potters wheel and workshop for mixing the mud and making pottery. 50. Growing vegetables using aquaponics. 51. Video studio for both shooting and editing a video. 52. A production area for both recording and editing a virtual reality

experience 53. IoT workbenches complete with Internet of Things help desk 54. Access to 3D scanners and printers capable of printing items out of

several hundred different materials. 55. Laser cutters for etching/cutting wood, glass, metal, and ceramic. 56. Jewelry making stations

Creative SpacesThese types of spaces will come complete with all the tools, technologies, and supplies for creative people to get creative. 57. Produce art 58. Produce music 59. Produce games 60. Produce podcasts 61. Produce webcasts 62. Produce VR experiences 63. Host IoT workshops 64. Create & print with 3D printers

Mini theaters

It’s important for groups have a place to gather for such things as: 65. Watching movies 66. Playing video games 67. Watch live events such as concerts, sporting events, NASA

landings, etc. 68. Watch YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and more

Live webcast studios

While we no longer need a studio for doing live webcasts, the age of the studio is far from over. 69. Book reviews 70. Game reviews 71. App reviews 72. Course review 73. Chatbot review 74. Tech reviews 75. 50 years ago today 76. “How to” accomplish something

3D Printing

As the process of additive manufacturing improves, it will begin to enter all of our lives in unusual ways: 77. 3D printer lending 78. 3D scanner lending 79. 3D printer workshops 80. 3D scanner workshops 81. 3D design competitions 82. 3D printer-scanner help desks

Flying Drones

In much the way kids that lived a century ago wanted to learn how to fly, young people today are enamored with flying and driving drones. 83. Drone lending 84. Flying drone flight simulators 85. DYI drone workshops 86. Drone competitions

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is already in existence and already knows far more about you than any person alive today. Will future libraries offer: 87. AI lending 88. AI workshops 89. AI competitions 90. Monitor and anticipate visitor usage

Virtual Reality and Augmented RealityBoth will become far more pervasive in the future. 91. VR & AR hardware lending 92. VR & AR software lending 93. VR & AR production studios 94. VR & AR search engines

Robotics

Robots will become far more common in the future. 95. Robot lending 96. Robot rodeos 97. Robot workshops 98. Robot competitions

McMaster University’s Hitchbot

Internet of Things

As more of our devices join the connected world we will see an increase in demand for: 99. IoT device lending 100. IoT prototyping workshops 101. IoT competitions 102. IoT expert speaker sessions

Equipment Archive

Most people have old forms of information on disks, cartridges, stick drives, and tapes, and many are looking for a place to convert it to a new medium that people today can access. 103. Read and print microfiche 104. Both read and convert 8”, 5.25”, and 3.5” disks to the

cloud 105. Convert photos to video 106. Convert from VHS to DVD 107. Digitize and repair old photos and documents 108. Old gaming consoles to play programs and games on

cartridges, apps, stick drives, and CDs

Global Library Projects

109. VR chat rooms with people in other counties 110. Cross cultural lending programs (i.e. books written in Japanese,

not translated, about Ben Franklin)

Video and Non-Video Games

Games are quickly becoming the cultural norm for most young people today. 111. Game tournaments 112. Game lending 113. Game builder workshops 114. Game expert events

New Facilities

Most major libraries will be testing out a host of new options to make their facilities relevant for next generation users. 115. Mini Planetariums 116. Robotic storytelling centers 117. VR dating stations 118. Time capsule room 119. Drone lending program 120. Pet lending program 121. Expert events – meet the experts 122. Community archives – let the community decide

Now over to you . . .Throw Your Pebble!

Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLAConsultant, Lighthouse Partners

CEO, Federation of Ontario Public LibrariesCel: 416-669-4855

stephen.abram@gmail.comStephen’s Lighthouse Blog

http://stephenslighthouse.comFacebook, Pinterest, Tumblr: Stephen Abram

LinkedIn / Plaxo: Stephen AbramTwitter: @sabram

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