“Feedback from our delegates indicates that this was one of our best Summits, if not the best Summit, due in no small part to the provocation and stimulation you provided at the start of the Summit.  You got us all thinking in very different ways.”

Debra Rosenfeldt | Head of Library Sector Engagement

As always our presentations are designed to be of maximum value when in the room and listening to the narrative. 

To assist you in understanding the presentation better the key points were:

1/ In order to think about the future and create better strategy, you need to hold multiple pictures in your head about what the future might look like.

2/ Some of the key major trends that are likely to impact on libraries are:

• The aging population.
• Increasing urban density.
• Social change in housing from apartment living, to social housing, to multi-generational living.
• Continued financial pressure on councils and governments (in part created by the aging population).
• Climate change and its effects, especially on vulnerable populations
• Increasing amounts of data created from personalised health and wellbeing

3/ Libraries need to think about the intersection of these trends with their core capabilities which include:

• A physical space in the community.
• A trusted “space” in the community.
• The ability to curate information and make it useful for people.
• Universal access for the community

4/ Long lasting future business models for libraries will be those that concentrate on human connection, trust and the capacity to make sense of masses of data for people.