On October 2, OCLC President and CEO Skip Prichard opened the day by outlining the five Cs that libraries need to catalyze their communities. Libraries contribute, developing unique offerings that help make them indispensable. Through those contributions, they forge connections. Catalysts create, introducing big changes and little shifts. They compete, constantly pushing themselves forward. And … Continue reading Libraries as Community Catalysts
Throughout this period of growth and expansion, libraries and librarians have once again demonstrated their adaptability to new information formats and user needs with moves that reflect the various directions VR has moved. Whether it is classroom use of Google Expeditions, new educational spaces and lending programs on academic campuses, or a demonstrated commitment to … Continue reading In a Virtual World
“We can learn a great deal about what may happen in the future by looking systematically at what is actually happening now,” wrote Edward Cornish, one of the founders of the World Future Society. We study change so we can prepare for the many futures that might happen. We start seeing what’s coming next. We … Continue reading Our Futures in Times of Change
The day started with a plenary session with education innovators Jeffrey Martín of honorCode and Stephen Harmon of Georgia Tech Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). Moderators Audrey Church, professor and coordinator of the school librarianship program of Longwood University and president of the American Association of School Librarians, and Ann Campion Riley, associate director … Continue reading Exploring Our Foundations in Times of Change
Liou’s presentation was a perfect follow-up to the city-wide vision of the Atlanta Beltline described by Ryan Gravel during Saturday’s Arthur Curley Lecture, showing how small investments in the assets neighborhoods already have can make a big difference. Liou’s vision for Buford Highway builds on a fundamental belief that the area is special because of … Continue reading Library Service in a World That’s Getting Closer
An attentive and engaged audience lost no time connecting library professionals’ work to these innovators’ approaches, from citizenship corners to entrepreneurship programs for teens and young adults. Several attendees’ noted their libraries’ participation in National Welcoming Week, an event organized by Welcoming America that helps communities bring together immigrants and U.S.-born residents in a spirit … Continue reading A Welcoming and Empowering Future
The American Library Association’s Center for the Future of Libraries’ work around futuring and foresight has helped reinforce the importance of looking outside our immediate context to help better understand and prepare for our futures. Two recent AtlanticLIVE events showed promising glimpses into the future: What’s Next and the Future of Work Summit. Interconnectedness was … Continue reading Big Ideas Come Together
These changes, as subtle or significant as they may be, represent libraries’ continuing alignment with new trends and user needs. Whether it’s emerging adulthood, the unplugged and maker movements, or the growing influence of fast casual restaurants, libraries are taking advantage of trends in the larger environment and putting them to work in their spaces, … Continue reading Trend Thinking in Libraries
