Thing#15: Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

Library 2.0 will “boldly go where no man has gone before”, as it travels to the far reaches of Library 4.0. While en route, it discovers the black box recordings of the many loyal patrons, who view the library as a second home, reflecting on their cherished memories of sitting on the rug, listening to their admired librarian ,as she reads from one of her favorite stories. They tell of how the library is like a nurturing mother, who feeds the soul with essential nutrients required for personal, social and cultural well being. A place that improves the temper, quiets the nerves, drawing off the mind from the hurry of the day. For the college student, it is the location of choice ,snuggled in the little cubby for an“exam cram”, or enjoying the pleasure of friends gathering together in an assigned room ,for a group study session. It is a place of soft words of comfort, echoing from the pages of beloved authors, “surrounded by stories surreal and sublime”(Buffett)
Libraries must remain The Giver of stored memories, the scholar of physical and online spaces, lighting the way in this 21st century global community of rapidly changing technologies, to meet the necessities of its patrons. While our second home may grow in technological strength through its journey, it must retain the black box recordings from the treasured past.