Leadership in Uncertain Times:
Federal Librarians Envision Use of Physical Space Through 2020
Below is the Executive Summary for the FLICC Special Project on Planning for Library Spaces. This report examined the future of federal library spaces from three sources. The report was a project of the Libraries and Emerging Technologies Working Group.
Executive Summary
This paper is the product of three complementary activities: a survey of librarians with interest in the future of federal library spaces; a literature review on each of the areas the survey explores; and the collective experiences of the authors of the paper as individuals facing the same challenges as their colleagues across the U.S. federal government. The result is an extensive review of issues facing federal librarians as they plan for the provision of services and collections within their own agency or department. Some of the most striking results presented in this paper include:
A majority of respondents are not directly responsible for planning for their future physical space requirements.
- While the use of physical space will change, most respondents project that the amount of space allotted to the library will remain the same for the foreseeable future.
- Most respondents do not feel that they will go virtual (with no physical collections) in the foreseeable future.
- Respondents are maintaining two expensive systems, physical and virtual library services, to meet the functional needs of librarians and information needs of users.
- Technology is changing the relationship the library has with its customers, but it is not diminishing the need for services provided by the library.
The link to the full report is: http://www.loc.gov/flicc/about/FLICC%20WGs/libemergtech.html
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