In this follow-up to Joseph Janes’s Library 2020, editor Hirsh explores the challenges, opportunities, and threats facing libraries of the future. Twenty-nine contributors from various library types and fields, including professors, administrators, and practitioners, were asked to frame their discussion around six topics: landscape, community, equity and inclusion, organizations, library workers, and vision. While some readers may struggle with the book’s grouping all types of libraries together (especially considering differences in scope and scale), the wide-ranging thoughts and predictions encourage them to consider the greater field of information services. The book is enhanced with individual interviews with the authors, available for viewing in a webcast format, which are a vibrant opportunity to engage with the content on a different level. From discussions about equity in school libraries to challenges facing community college libraries, this excellent compilation offers food for thought for librarians hoping to make the most of future opportunities. As for the book’s predictions, only time will tell how accurate the forecasts prove to be. Essential reading for all library workers and information professionals and, indeed, for any person concerned about the future of libraries.
— Library Journal
I'm excited Sandra Hirsh has brought together the brightest minds and inspiring thinkers in our profession to provide aspirational and cautionaries futures of libraries. The twenty-five chapters that comprise this seven part book consider the key areas likely to comprise and influence the landscape of what should be the future of the most democratic institutions in existence. This valuable publication will guide our libraries toward a very bright future.
— Courtney L. Young is university librarian and professor in the Libraries at Colgate University and a past president of the American Library Association
Library 2035 presents leading voices in the library field whose essays help us look to the horizon and imagine ourselves beyond it. Newer library workers are invited to envision their futures and the more experienced are given the chance to reflect on their legacies. Sandra Hirsh presents us with a thought-provoking exploration of what is possible that also challenges us to wrestle with aspects of the field that are undesirable and in need of correction with a spirit of hopefulness and belief in a vibrant future for the important work that we do.
— Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, professor and librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a stellar list of contributors, this volume, edited by Sandra Hirsh provides a compelling vision of how libraries will continue to thrive as vibrant hubs for knowledge. It’s a forward-thinking examination of how libraries can--or should--evolve to meet ever-changing challenges.
— Trevor A. Dawes, librarian, educator, and consultant
This collection of essays considering future directions for libraries during the upcoming decade addresses topics of interest for practitioners, current and aspiring administrators, professional development book clubs, and library school students. Most of the twenty-five entries run under ten pages, and represent an array of contributors, including public, academic, school, special, and government librarians, library school faculty, library association personnel, and representatives from the private sector. While individual tone and topics vary, the offerings are invariably professional and engaging, and can stand on their own. Many include helpful features (lists, charts, sidebars); each offers unique notes (there's also a comprehensive, concluding bibliography). Submissions are grouped under overarching subjects: "Landscape" (physical footprint, environmental concerns); "Community" (adaptability; relevance for evolving populations); "Equity and Inclusion" (sustainable institutional practices and policies);"Organizations" (collaborations and partnerships); "Library Workers" (training and retainment, wellness, emerging careers); and "Vision" ( strategic planning, anticipating and embracing change). Editor Hirsh judiciously utilized her considerable experience and expertise when bringing these diverse voices together, and, in addition to the written submissions, offers archived webcasts featuring each contributor (retrieval information is included). An update to Library 2020: Today’s Leading Visionaries Describe Tomorrow’s Library (2013), this accessible and visionary work belongs in most professional collections.
— Booklist
This book can serve as a productive prompt for the deliberation and discussion necessary for librarians to create the vibrant libraries the future will need.
— Pacific Services Quarterly