More incredibly cool things to do in the library of the future

(Editor's note: This is the second of two parts. Read Part One.)

With digital comes an exponential increase in the number of ways we can access, manipulate, search, parse, combine, manage and store each of the growing number of elements in the knowledge universe.

As a result, our expectations surrounding libraries and the activities and capabilities we expect from a local neighborhood information center, are also beginning to change.

Stepping through this list of possible activities, we should begin with the understanding that very few libraries, if any, will have all of them.

Libraries are rapidly transitioning from a place for passive visitors who consume information to active participants who would much rather produce it.

Maker Space – Areas to include:

1. Potters wheel and workshop for mixing the mud and making pottery.
2. Growing vegetables using aquaponics.
3. Video studio for both shooting and editing a video.
4. A production area for both recording and editing a virtual reality experience
5. IoT workbenches complete with Internet of Things help desk
6. Access to 3D scanners and printers capable of printing items out of several hundred different materials.
7. Laser cutters for etching/cutting wood, glass, metal, and ceramic.
8. Jewelry making stations

Creative Spaces – These types of spaces will come complete with all the tools, technologies, and supplies for creative people to get creative.

9. Produce art
10. Produce music
11. Produce games
12. Produce podcasts
13. Produce webcasts
14. Produce VR experiences
15. Host IoT workshops
16. Create & print with 3D printers

Mini theaters – It’s important for groups have a place to gather for such things as:

17. Watching movies
18. Playing video games
19. Watch live events such as concerts, sporting events, NASA landings, etc.
20. Watch YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and more

Live webcast studios – While we no longer need a studio for doing live webcasts, the age of the studio is far from over.

21. Book reviews
22. Game reviews
23. App reviews
24. Course review
25. Chatbot review
26. Tech reviews
27. 50 years ago today
28. “How to” accomplish something

3D Printing – As the process of additive manufacturing improves, it will begin to enter all of our lives in unusual ways:

29. 3D printer lending
30. 3D scanner lending
31. 3D printer workshops
32. 3D scanner workshops
33. 3D design competitions
34. 3D printer-scanner help desks

Flying Drones – In much the way kids that lived a century ago wanted to learn how to fly, young people today are enamored with flying and driving drones.

35. Drone lending
36. Flying drone flight simulators
37. DYI drone workshops
38. Drone competitions

Artificial Intelligence – Artificial intelligence is already in existence and already knows far more about you than any person alive today. Will future libraries offer:

39. AI lending
40. AI workshops
41. AI competitions
42. Monitor and anticipate visitor usage

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality – Both will become far more pervasive in the future.

43. VR & AR hardware lending
44. VR & AR software lending
45. VR & AR production studios
46. VR & AR search engines

Robotics – Robots will become far more common in the future.

47. Robot lending
48. Robot rodeos
49. Robot workshops
50. Robot competitions

Internet of Things – As more of our devices join the connected world we will see an increase in demand for:

51. IoT device lending
52. IoT prototyping workshops
53. IoT competitions
54. IoT expert speaker sessions

Equipment Archive – Most people have old forms of information on disks, cartridges, stick drves, and tapes, and many are looking for a place to convert it to a new medium that people today can access.

55. Read and print microfiche
56. Both read and convert 8”, 5.25”, and 3.5” disks to the cloud
57. Convert photos to video
58. Convert from VHS to DVD
59. Digitize and repair old photos and documents
60. Old gaming consoles to play programs and games on cartridges, apps, stick drives, and CDs

Global Library Projects

61. VR chat rooms with people in other counties
62. Cross cultural lending programs (i.e. books written in Japanese, not translated, about Ben Franklin)

Video and Non-Video Games – Games are quickly becoming the cultural norm for most young people today.

63. Game tournaments
64. Game lending
65. Game builder workshops
66. Game expert events
     

New Facilities – Most major libraries will be testing out a host of new options to make their facilities relevant for next generation users.

67. Mini Planetariums
68. Robotic storytelling centers
69. VR dating stations
70. Time capsule room
71. Drone lending program
72. Pet lending program
73. Expert events – meet the experts
74. Community archives – let the community decide

Final Thoughts

As a kid growing up, libraries were always that magical place full of ideas and possibilities. Future libraries will have all that and more.

Yes, they will be continually evolving over the coming decades and the key to our understanding them lies in our ability to expand our perspective and reframe our thinking abut their role and purpose.

The list above is merely scratching the surface. Libraries can start with a formula, mission statement, policy plan or lengthy surveys, but in the end libraries will evolve, morph and transform on their own even without human intervention.

It’ll be an exciting thing to watch and even more exciting to be part of.