Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Information, Data and Society at San José State University, visited Simmons as a 2024 recipient of the Allen Smith Visiting Scholars Fellowship, an annual award celebrating the life of Professor Allen Smith who taught at the Simmons School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) for 31 years. Upon his passing, a visiting scholars fellowship was endowed to bring respected scholars who work in the broad areas of reference, humanities, and oral history to come to SLIS and share their expertise.
Hirsh spent the week sharing her perspectives about the future of libraries, which included presentations, guest lectures, and meetings with library staff, SLIS students (doctoral students and library fellows) and SLIS faculty. She kicked off her week as visiting scholar by delivering an opening keynote presentation, “Future-Ready Libraries: A Glimpse Into 2035,” on October 7. In this presentation, she began by posing the following question to the audience: “How would you think about the future of libraries a decade from now?” This is also the question she asked her book contributors to address in Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2024).
“It’s really hard to speculate about the future of libraries. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone ten years from now!” said Hirsh. Despite this, she was able to gather contributions from “great thinkers” across the library and information science field to address different aspects of this question in Library 2035 — such as by library environments (e.g., school, academic, public libraries), issues (e.g., sustainability, privacy, technology, library workers, and equity and inclusion), among other dimensions. “These thought leaders were selected to be as diverse and representative as possible,” she noted. During her talk, she also wove in overlapping theories from the just released 2024 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Trend Report, noting the extant synergies. In addition to the book, she also conducted webcast interviews with nearly all of the book’s contributors; these webcasts are available on YouTube or on the Library 2035 webcast site.
“This past decade has given us ample challenges and opportunities to demonstrate our ability in the library field and how we can be flexible and resilient,” said Hirsh, referring to the effect of the global pandemic, and the more recent emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. “These experiences highlight how important it is to prepare for the unexpected. This means that libraries need to have robust contingency plans and foster a sense of continuous learning and innovation within libraries. Taking these actions means that libraries will be able to respond quickly and effectively to any future disruptions.”
She also emphasized the importance of libraries representing the communities they serve. “Libraries must continually adapt their services to meet the community’s evolving needs,” said Hirsh. This perspective about community is reflected in Hirsh’s response to the challenge she gave to all of those who participated in the book’s webcast interviews — to state their vision for libraries in 2035 in six words or less. Hirsh’s six word vision for 2035 is:
“Libraries are essential for thriving communities.”
In broad strokes, she highlighted seven overall themes touched upon in the book:
- Community and Engagement: “[I expect that] Libraries in 2035 will continue to be places where people gather to interact and build connections.” Libraries will strengthen that sense of community by hosting a variety of activities, events, cultural programs, and civic meetings.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: “Libraries will need to work closely with other institutions and organizations to expand their reach and impact,” said Hirsh. “These partnerships will be important to allow libraries to offer more comprehensive services and address community needs more effectively.”
- Inclusivity and Equity: “Libraries will strive to break down barriers that prevent people from using their services,” said Hirsh. “This includes all types of inclusivity — for example, physical accessibility and digital accessibility — to ensure that libraries are creating a welcoming environment for everyone. Libraries in 2035 will also take an active role in social justice issues, providing resources and programs that promote equity and inclusion, diversity training, social justice workshops, and also providing collections that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences.”
- Privacy and Security: “Libraries will prioritize the protection of user data and privacy. It’s important for users to feel safe when they access digital resources and for libraries to foster a culture of trust by educating users about their privacy rights and promoting transparency regarding data usage. This commitment to privacy will not only protect individual users but will uphold the principles of intellectual freedom that libraries have long championed.”
- Technology Integration: “Libraries in 2035 will use technology to make their services more accessible and convenient,” said Hirsh. “This has become particularly important, especially given the widespread use and impact of generative AI and how that is going to change the way that libraries function, deliver, and manage services and collections.”
- Advocacy and Futures Thinking: “Libraries in 2035 will need to advocate for their value and relevance to stakeholders, community leaders, and the public,” said Hirsh. “They’ll need to actively prepare for future challenges and trends by staying ahead of societal changes and anticipating the needs of future generations. That means that libraries in 2035 will need to engage in strategic planning and foresight to ensure that they adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.”
Hirsh concluded her week as visiting scholar on October 10 by moderating a panel discussion: “The “The Future of Libraries: A Panel of Perspectives,” featuring Timothy Dolan ’16MS, Coordinator of Library Services of the Greenfield Community College Library; Alexia Hudson-Ward ’18PhD, Associate Director of Research Learning & Strategic Partnerships at MIT Libraries; Cyndee Landrum ’25PhD, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); Maria McCauley ‘16PhD, Director of the Cambridge Public Library; and Jerome Offord ’15PhD, Associate University Librarian for Anti-racism at Harvard. The panelists echoed many of Dr. Hirsh's conclusions, especially the importance of community engagement and centering patrons' needs. Even while they acknowledge challenges from the lingering effects of the pandemic and the uncertainties of AI, they see opportunities to engage around these topics to continuously grow and improve services.