The Library in the Twenty‐first Century: New Services for the Information Age

Citation

Morgan, S. (2001), "The Library in the Twenty‐first Century: New Services for the Information Age", Library Review, Vol. 50 No. 5, pp. 266-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2001.50.5.266.13

This is another excellent contribution to the professional literature from the pen/keyboard of the prolific Peter Brophy and his colleagues at CERLIM (Centre for Research in Library and Information Management), to whom he dedicates this volume. As the title suggests, the author’s perspective is a futuristic and, ultimately, an optimistic one: “an attempt to think systematically and strategically about the future of libraries” (p. xiv). The author starts from the premise that libraries and librarians are in real danger of being left behind. Throughout Part I (the first six chapters) Brophy therefore examines the role of the library – in the national, academic, public, school and workplace sectors – as it stands at the start of a new era. It answers the question “what do libraries do and why do they do it?” This is followed in Part II (chapters 7‐11) by an equally stimulating look over the parapet into the future.

All the textbooks tell you that, for the rookie novelist, the most important thing is to start off with a bang, create an impact so that the reader’s attention is grabbed. Although the same principle applies to most books, presentations, speeches, TV programmes etc., it rarely happens. Brophy’s first chapter, “The end of libraries?”, certainly creates the required impact by describing why libraries are under threat. This sets the tone of the book and provides ten deliberately provocative points for the reader to consider. These include electronic paper, new publishing models, online bookshops, e‐commerce, digital television, integrated learning environments, e‐universities, mobile communications, print on demand and, finally, the unknown. As if these are not challenges enough, what about the underdeveloped skills of librarians to deal with these threats? Or the huge and escalating costs of libraries?

Chapter 2 runs systematically through the sectors with an upbeat synopsis of activities within each. The question is posed as to whether the outward appearance of across‐the‐board success and well being is merely cosmetic and being masked by more fundamental problems beneath the surface. This is followed by a cross‐sectoral view of libraries, including discussion of three models: the Alexandrian, the access, and the resource‐sharing models. The view of the profession is put forward next. This is perhaps less provocative and gives the perspective of the Library Association, the Institute of Information Scientists, and their US equivalents. The penultimate chapter in Part I looks at digital and hybrid libraries. The conceptual frameworks as well as the technology of the digital library are well covered here, with just two pages devoted to the hybrid library, which the author neatly describes as a “mix of physical objects … and electronic ‘stuff”’ (p. 69). This latter devotion seems rather truncated given the author’s view that the shape of libraries for the foreseeable future will be hybrid. In the final chapter of Part I Brophy considers what makes a good library. Here we enter the realms of performance measurement and quality management … both areas about which the author writes eloquently. He uses ten attributes associated with libraries and automobiles to good effect to explain the notion of “quality”.

Our initial look into the future (Part II) starts with the core functions of a library. These common features that libraries display will be sustainable in the future for both traditional and electronic services. Included is a discussion about the library’s “intermediary” role, paradoxically against a backdrop of “disintermediation”. Words used to describe this role include agent, guide, mediator, broker or gateway. The author then takes a closer look at the library users (customers, clients, patrons, readers or members? We just cannot make up our minds what to call them), the information itself and the point at which users and information come together. This information access and use process is described and illustrated algorithmically.

In chapter 8 the author turns to technology with a vengeance. In “Enabling technologies” we move briefly through some historically significant stages, such as local and wide area networking, CD‐ROM technology, World Wide Web access, and consider some general issues for applying technology to libraries in the early twenty‐first century: scalability, sustainability, interoperability and personalisation. This leads on to a discussion of the concept of an “information object” – a far from straightforward issue in the electronic age. For example, a Web page may consist of a series of frames, each of which may contain text, images, sound files or other embedded “objects”. As the author asks, “what in these circumstances should be regarded as the basic ‘information object’?” (p. 114). Even greater complexity is faced when considering the wide range of document formats. The author comes up with 14 (most of whose acronyms are explained in the excellent glossary), and that is without including non‐digital media such as paper or film. The technological Cook’s tour continues with what I used to know as “cat and class”: metadata, MARC records, resource description framework, Dublin core and content labelling. These enabling technologies are contextualised over the following two chapters to consider the wider opportunities for new types and levels of library service which are opening up. In “The information universe” (chapter 9), for example, we see the formulation of national information policies, the structure of information content and its production, the development of the distributed national electronic resource (DNER) and preservation issues.

In “The user universe” (chapter 10) the author focuses on the needs, preferences and reactions of the users and sees the closeness of the library to the user as the key to the future success of the service. Issues covered here include authentication, authorisation, data protection and privacy, lifelong learning, networked learning and information literacy/skills. This brings the reader back to the “intermediary” role which was referred to at the start of Part II and is taken up in the final short coda whose message is that if libraries are to occupy a central place in future society, that place has to be earned.

This book would be particularly helpful if you are about to be interviewed for a professional post and are preparing yourself for the almost inevitable question: “what do you think libraries will look like in five years’ time?”. More seriously, however, the author has brought his wide professional experience and excellent writing style to bear on the complexities of libraries, present and future. He has succeeded in teasing out the important issues and, in doing so, has provided a readable and stimulating text that will be welcomed by students and practitioners alike.