A Look at the Future of Libraries

Objectives: An important issue in the field of librarianship is what we will look like in the future. Prognosticators’ predictions range from doomsday to utopia. This poster seeks to identify what the perceptions of the future of libraries are from the published literature. The future of medical libraries in particular will be examined. Methods: This research will analyze the literature published in the field of library science. The literature will then be qualitatively analyzed to determine themes about the perceptions of the future of libraries and librarians. NVIVO qualitative analysis software will be utilized to analyze the data for themes and trends. Three coders will independently code the data. Results and Conclusions: A review of the literature paints a cautiously optimistic picture of the future of medical libraries and librarians. The general perception appears to be an ever increasing involvement in the community outside the walls of the medical library. With expanding collaborative technologies, medical librarians have both the challenges and opportunities to evolve to fill a great need in medical knowledge management and point-of care resources.