The library of the future

Abstract

In the midst of the heat and turmoil of the first world war emerged the proposals for the progress in library provision which took place following the end of hostilities. Once more we are at war, and again the field of public library service is being surveyed and plans for post‐war development prepared. There are those who urge that all our energies should meantime be bent on winning the war, and that all other activities should be suspended for the duration. The war might thus be over more quickly, but in the process the worth‐while fruits of victory would be retarded. In the welter and flux of post‐war conditions opportunities for rapid progress will appear for the grasping, but unless we are prepared to seize them at the right moment, they may vanish for a generation or more. Collectively, therefore, librarians should have a clear idea of the changes they wish to effect, and should work out now the steps required to bring them about.

Citation

Paton, W.B. (1942), "The library of the future", Library Review, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 163-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb060411