Librarian as Futurist: Changing the Way Libraries Think About the Future

TR Number
Date
2014-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Abstract

Are librarians preoccupied with the future? There are countless books, articles, blog posts, webinars, and conference presentations filled with speculation about what libraries will become. This is understandable with the emergence of new roles for libraries and librarians as we determine our identity across the digital landscape. This essay offers guidance for thinking about the future. By adopting the cognitive tools and mindsets used by practitioners of strategic foresight, library leaders can position their organizations for greater impact and value. Knowing how to discover, design, assess, and address possible future scenarios is becoming increasingly critical, and this skill should become part of our professional fluency.

Description
Keywords
academic libraries, futurism, futurists, change literacy, strategic foresight
Citation
portal: Libraries and the Academy Volume 14, Number 3, July 2014