I’ve Spent Fifty Years in Libraries. Here’s What I See in Their Future.

Obviously, no one knows what the future holds, but here are a few so-called “predictions” to start conversations.

• We must reduce the silo mindset. A silo is a closed way of organizing work into separate areas that are unable to communicate with other systems. Public services, technical services, and administration are silos, which can run the risk of not being able to communicate with other areas. A silo refers to the way grains are stored, assuring that the components can be kept separate. However, shifting trends and technology mean that silos can create barriers to collaboration across departments. Silos and the silo mindset must be broken down.
• End users deserve a place at the negotiation table. Who exactly are end users? The person or persons who uses or is intended to use a product. End users do not technically or typically have the expertise of product designers, and, in fact, are usually overlooked, which may be the reason to seek their input.
• We must rethink our aversion to commerce and commercial companies. Great numbers of librarians bristle at the name “Elsevier,” a noble company that has served the knowledge industry since 1880. Where does this aversion come from? Is it a matter of the definition of the word “profit”? Profit means coming out ahead. Does this always involve money? No. You can get a benefit from your experience, for example, or your involvement or participation in a nonprofit. Let’s face it: commercial companies have the pocketbooks, personnel, and, yes, the interest in taking risks. AI and all the new tech that people are so enthused over are profit-motivated.
• Startups are everywhere and will become more dominant. They will depend on investment and confidence about the future. What’s a startup? A newly established business or the process of setting something new in motion. It is in the first stage of operation, generally founded by one or several entrepreneurs who want to test a product or service for which they believe demand exists. Startups may frequently have the benefit of enthusiasm, youth, forward thinking, and probably some naivete. They also frequently do not reach their full potential by becoming successful.
• How important is technology as a partner? How do we define technology? Technology is the study of scientific knowledge in order to create tools and processes that can change the world. It is a capability given by the practical application of knowledge. It is broader than computer technology, meaning it is important in several other processes.
• Open access (OA) is a set of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. There are numerous levels of open access (green, gold, hybrid, and others). These levels, as well as predatory publishing, have muddied the discovery layers enormously. Can librarians and scholarly publishers develop more robust discovery tools to make OA more viable?
• Libraries have been too passive when it comes to changing with the times, so the times changed them. Academic libraries will survive in some form, if only to train students to wend their way through the maze. Books and journals in the past have always been our go-to access tools. But as virtual tools and players—like ChatGPT and AI—emerge, books and journals must take a back seat.
• Cataloging/metadata will disappear/be replaced by AI developments.
• Interlibrary loan will disappear/be replaced by AI and OA.
• Libraries made little effort to organize the explosion of information, and now it’s too overwhelming to even try.
• Both librarians and publishers have access to huge amounts of data that is organized differently. We must join forces to organize and use the data to our best advantages.
• Older, more mature librarians, publishers, vendors, and so on must be more respected as partners and must become more vocal. Let’s talk.
• Artificial intelligence is the latest fad, but will it become a boondoggle—that is, give the appearance of adding more value than it is?
• The Global South will have a seat at the table. Like end users, the Global South has an important perspective that must be shared in and with the ecosystem.
• Consortia may break up or consolidate. Their goals must be shared and consolidated.
• Publishers and libraries share much in common. Rather than bumping heads in disagreement, they need to agree on possible ways to move forward.
• Finance will still be a necessary partner but will become part of operating expenses rather than a driving force.

Many of you will disagree with my predictions, and that’s okay! I’ve had a grand time watching it all, and I am confident the sky’s the limit as we reimagine libraries!

From Doing the Charleston by Katina Strauch with Darrell W. Gunter. Copyright © 2025 by Katina Strauch and Darrell W. Gunter. Published by Against the Grain, LLC in paperback and as an open access ebook under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.