ALA releases new publication to advance the national conversation on the future of libraries

Contact: Jenni Terry


Press Officer


ALA Washington Office


(202) 628-8410

jterry@alawash.org

For Immediate Release


March 10, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) has released
the first of several policy briefs to be published in 2010 on the revolution in information technology and its implications for the future of libraries.

The
publication, titled
Checking Out the Future:
Perspectives from the Library Community on Information Technology and 21st-Century Libraries, explores how many library professionals are recognizing the need to evolve during the digital revolution and are driving adaptations designed to ensure that libraries remain an integral part of our society’s commitment to education, equity, and access to information.

Authored by Jennifer C. Hendrix, OITP Consultant,
Checking Out the Future, is based on a literature review conducted in 2008-2009 on the future of libraries, primarily of publications from within the library community. The associated
annotated bibliography is available and will be updated periodically.

“This publication represents an important, but only first step of a major effort by OITP on the future of libraries,” said Alan Inouye, OITP Director. “We thought it was critical to develop this synthesis of library community views on the future of libraries as a baseline as OITP explores the larger technological, political, economic, and social context,” he said.

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