The world is our lobster Rethinking traditional attitudes

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore the changing skill sets, operating environments and community engagement activities which can create a robust and valued future for libraries and librarians. It is easy to paint a doom-laden picture of the future of libraries against a background of library cuts, professional deskilling and the relentless advance of ever more powerful digital information systems. However, these self-same threats offer new challenges for information management. Design/methodology/approach - Personal view of the future based on current literature. Findings - It is better to seek forgiveness than permission. Seize the day. Research limitations/implications - Just one point of view among many. Practical implications - Librarians need to act. Social implications - The library can remain core to civilised societies. Originality/value - Others must judge that.