Wayne Thompson of the NZ Herald recently covered the keynote from the recent LIANZA conference which provides thought provoking views on the evolving role of libraries.
Some may still think of libraries as stuffy book barns with stern librarians, but LIANZA’s keynote speaker, US architect, Thomas Frey begs to differ. He’s talking up their re-birth and It turns out that libraries are evolving into vibrant community hubs.
According to Frey, Libraries are “community go-to places where you can hire a car, cut out a neat-fitting dress on a 3D printer, show a movie that you made, or thrive in the company of others.”
Frey talked up the rebirth of public libraries which have evolved from being dowdy and into dazzling community crown jewels where ideas and information are exchanged.
Frey spoke on the future of libraries, discussing how libraries could best continue to serve communities and the people they represent.
According to Frey a possible future could revolve around loaning out things other than books. In the US, a library had already started lending flying drones while others have installed 3D printers and set up “maker spaces”.
Frey also talked up the community-centric nature of libraries, saying that libraries are forums for the exchange of ideas. Ideas take many forms with Frey citing an example where Future stars would come to use library studios for recording and editing music and videos.
Frey also touched on the potential for library/commercial sector partnerships which could theoretically see Libraries obtaining new products for community use through corporate sponsorship or firms donating products to libraries which would have the added benefit of to fostering greater consumer awareness.