YLibrary: What's next for libraries? Panel - Professional Development Event

One of the professional development events recommended to library students via email was to attend YLibrary: What’s next for libraries? panel at SLQ. The panel consisted of four guests who each had their own unique view of the future of libraries and books. The event is recorded and available via the ABC website.

When I first began telling people I wanted to become a librarian they were all very concerned that I may not have a job in the future: “But libraries aren’t going to exist in the future.” or on the other end of the spectrum: “Why are you studying a Masters in Information Technology when all you’re going to be doing is reading books all day?”. For the most part I try to point out that information will always need to be stored somewhere and in some way and it’s a librarians job to help access that information. I also try to emphasize that physical books aren’t going to become obsolete anytime soon and that even if they did, librarians would still be needed!

There were many interesting and thought-provoking points that were brought up during the panel discussion. One of the topics covered was the role of the physical library as a community hub, which is a concept that has become familiar to me during the course of my study. People don’t come to the library just to read books anymore, they come for educational courses, to meet like-minded people, or just wi-fi! I did one of my fieldwork placements at a library that functioned as a community hub and it was great to see how seamless the integration was between library staff and those responsible for other cultural events.

Another point that stuck with me throughout the lecture was the idea that although preservation of books and other materials is important, it is not the questions that libraries should be asking themselves now. This point resonated with me as part of me believes that librarians and other archivists should aim to preserve information for future readers. As I thought about this topic more I began to realise that what is the point of preservation if there is no-one available to help readers access information. Even though I think it is sad, the need for librarians to remain relevant and constantly validate their role in society is the more pressing issue at hand.

Attending the Y Library event was probably the most inspiring and informative professional development session I have attended to date. I’m looking forward to attending more!