Center for the Future of Libraries: an initiative of the American Library Association Narrative Executive Summary Libraries and the communities they serve are undergoing transformational changes. The rapidly changing landscape of technology, economics, policy, demographics and ecology creates challenges and opportunities for society. Libraries, as essential community resources, can be indispensable partners in meeting these challenges and creating a society in which every individual has access to the informational resources and assistance that they need for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The American Library Association will help libraries in public, academic and school communities rise to this challenge by working with creative thinkers from all sectors to better understand the trends shaping our communities, by helping libraries to incorporate these insights into their planning, by promoting innovation and experimentation, and by exploring how libraries can help create a better future for individuals and communities. This will be accomplished by establishing a Center for the Future of Libraries (CFL) in Fall 2013. The Center will be staffed by ALA with a full time director, and will be housed in the ALA Executive Office, where it will work closely with the ALA Executive Director and ALA Executive Board and where it will be organizationally well positioned to work with ALA divisions, offices and external partners. The Center will help libraries identify emerging trends, provoke discussion on how to shape the future, build connections with experts and innovative thinkers to help libraries tackle these issues, and provide a forum for the best and the brightest from all sectors to share ideas and explore joint solutions to the challenges facing society. Ultimately, the Center will help create and coordinate the development of new mechanisms for the exchange of innovative practices and an association-wide incubator for experimentation. The Center will be initially modeled on the successful American Alliance of Museums Center for the Future of Museums, and many of the issues and approaches in this proposal are closely modeled on approaches taken by the AAM CFM. Libraries and museums face many of the same challenges, and many of the approaches taken by the CFM are directly applicable to the library environment. This start up proposal is in fact posited on a close working relationship with the CFM, and we see close cooperation and collaboration as an important component that can contribute to the success of both Centers and both organizations. ALA is rich in resources that can be realigned and used to support this effort from its inception. Among these resources are the following: The ALA Office for Research and Statistics, which currently gathers statistics on libraries, library usage, and the environment within which libraries operate; The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy s Libraries in the 21 st Century Project; Projects in ALA s Offices focused on future trends impacting libraries, such as the Diversity Research Grants program in ALA s Office for Diversity; and, 1
Work already currently underway in ACRL, PLA, AASL and other divisions and roundtables, which would be incorporated into the Center s work through a collaborative planning and branded matrix approach in which many projects throughout the Association related to innovation would be accessible through the Center s web portal. The Center will also build upon ALA s Community Engagement initiatives. With support from an IMLS grant in 2012-2013 (The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities), the Association is working with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to help libraries to turn outward and, through community conversations, to gain a deeper understanding of their communities and their aspirations. An expanded project, which will result in a sustained ALA community engagement program, is in development. These projects build on a decade-long history of civic and community engagement work, notably the ALA Center for Civic Life, begun with research support from The Kettering Foundation. The activities of the CFL will build organically and naturally from ALA s increased focus on the community and on innovation. The Center s activities will focus on forecasting the trends that will influence libraries and society in the coming years and incorporating these into library planning and thinking. In addition, specific issues would be addressed by the CFL based on conversations and feedback from libraries (e.g., the role of libraries in promoting ecologically sustainable communities or the role of libraries in economic development). The Center could address such specific issues through research, the commissioning of white papers, scenario exploration, webinars, lectures or community conversations. This plan proposes that ALA establish the Center with a modest and sustainable initial investment, developing a full suite of activities over a three-year time frame. The Center has the potential to increase ALA s ability to access philanthropic funding, with its focus on activating libraries in order to help build stronger communities and address important societal issues. The Center creates opportunities for funding by individuals and foundations that care about specific causes but are not necessarily interested in funding libraries per se. Institute for Library and Museum Services funding would supplement staffing, support planning activities and support the involvement of the AAM CFM in helping to energize interested participants and develop a more detailed vision for the Center and its future. These activities will be conducted in year one of the Center s operation (September 2013 through August, 2014) A total of $50,000 is requested from IMLS, to be fully matched by ALA. Statement of Need There are almost 9,000 public library entities in the United States, representing approximately 16,000 main and branch libraries. There are almost 3,700 college and university libraries, and 98,000 school buildings that have some form of library. (www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet01) There are many thousands more special libraries serving nonprofit organizations, government agencies and businesses. All of these libraries serve communities, whether geographically or institutionally defined. All of these libraries along with the communities they serve face the challenge of planning for and adapting to rapid, transformative change. As they seek to address these challenges as institutions and as a part of their community libraries face additional barriers: 2
The traditional time frame for library planning is relatively short (one to five years). Plans frequently focus on internal and/or local issues. Not all library planners have ready access to useful and usable information on long-term, large-scale trends. Most library planners lack access to models that might help them think about how such long-term, large-scale trends might affect them and the community they serve. Much of the expertise needed to understand and adapt to these trends resides in other sectors with economists, scientists, policy makers, futurists and others. To address the challenges of the future, for their libraries and for their communities, library planners need access to relevant long-term, large-scale trend information; assistance in integrating trend data and futures forecasting into their planning; and, tools for engaging their communities in future-oriented planning and conversation. Impact ALA will develop the Center for the Future of Libraries (CFL) to bring together long-range, large-scale trend data, to collect and coordinate the ideas of innovators and planners from a broad spectrum of disciplines, to develop tools to help library planners think strategically about the impact of massive change on their libraries and their communities, and to engage their communities whether civic, academic or organizational in future-focused discussion. Establishment of the CFL builds directly on ALA s current strategic plan: ALA provides leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services in a dynamic and increasingly global digital information environment. Current objectives include the following: Increase opportunities to share innovative practices and concepts across the profession, nationally and internationally, and among all libraries. Increase recognition of and support for experimentation with innovative and transformational ideas. Help libraries make use of new and emerging technologies by promoting and supporting technological experimentation and innovation. Increase leadership development and training opportunities designed to support the ongoing transformation of libraries. The Center for the Future of Libraries will support this goal, these objectives and the needs outlined above through the following actions: Helping library planners foresee and anticipate changes taking place ten to twenty-five years out that will profoundly affect society, their community, their users, and their library. Providing pertinent, credible information about regional, national and global trends that will affect libraries and the communities they serve. Provoking discussion and generation of scenarios about the future and the possible impact of those scenarios on libraries and the communities they serve. Functioning as a think tank for provocative and deep discussion about how libraries can shape the future. 3
Cultivating connections between library planners and representatives of other sectors to build a stronger planning environment and ultimately a stronger advocacy environment -- for libraries. Building connections with experts and innovative thinkers from all sectors to solicit their perspectives and their thinking on libraries and the role of libraries in their communities in a rapidly changing environment. Providing a forum for the best and brightest in the library field and other sectors to share ideas and explore solutions. Encouraging library practitioners to exercise their creativity and support risk-taking and innovation. Deepening and renewing the commitment of libraries and library practitioners to collaborating with their communities to address their most pressing aspirations and needs. Project Design The following design principles and strategies will guide the Center for the Future of Libraries through its startup phase: Grow the CFL through evolutionary design. By starting small and simple, the CFL can also start quickly. By adopting an experimental and environmental design approach, the CFL will be able to respond to the best thinking of librarians and leaders from other sectors. This creates a nimble system; it also minimizes risk as the CFL need not invest heavily in predesigned infrastructure that may not ultimately be appropriate to the work required. Rather, the CFL design assumes testing many small pieces, building on those that work and discarding those that don t. Evolutionary design encourages innovation by making failure of any trial component part of the organizational learning and innovation process. Involve ALA members and others in the design of the center. Using social media as well as face-to-face opportunities at ALA conferences, the Center will involve members and other participants in the design of the Center and its programs. ALA utilizes multiple social networks, including the internal ALA Connect as well as external social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others. With three to four conferences annually, drawing national attendance and strong (changing) regional participation, ALA also has exceptional opportunities for direct contact. ALA s network of 51 chapters is yet another opportunity for engagement. Create conversations. During the last two years, the ALA has focused on fostering conversations within the Association, centered on issues of interest to members and conference attendees. The response to these conversations has been very positive, suggesting a deep interest in participatory rather than lecture-style discovery and learning. This mechanism will help shape the Center and its evolution over time and provides an effective environment for discussions about future scenarios and future possibilities. 4
Create a coalition of the willing. The Center will create an open environment for those interested in future trends and the integration of trend data and futuring processes into planning. By focusing its primary efforts on interested thought leaders, which we expect will include many emerging library professionals, the CFL can amplify the effects of its work and support a growing cadre of future-oriented library leaders. By looking at non-traditional approaches to planning and innovation, as well as specific issues of interest to new partners, the Center will create many opportunities for face-to-face and virtual engagement for those who may not currently be interested or engaged in our work. Build on existing efforts and strengths. ALA is rich in resources that can be realigned and used to support this effort from its inception. Among these resources are the following: o The Center will build on ALA s ongoing Promise of Libraries in Transforming Communities initiatives. With 2012-2013 IMLS funding, the Association began working with The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to help libraries of all types turn outward to their communities civic, academic or organizational, help them articulate their aspirations, and, through community conversations, understand the library s role in the achievement of community aspirations. This increased focus on turning outward and community-based innovation will provide a solid foundation for the work of the Center for the Future of Libraries. o ALA s Office for Research and Statistics currently gathers statistics on libraries, library usage, and the environment within which libraries operate, including trends in education, demographics and employment. ALA ORS represents the Association to federal agencies on matters related to research and statistics about libraries, librarians, and other library staff and provides key linkages to the broader research community. o ALA s Office for Information Technology Policy s Libraries in the 21 st Century Project is focused on the fundamental changes that underlie the ways in which much information is now created, modified, disseminated, and accessed. The project monitors and evaluates trends in technology and society to assist the library community in shaping its future to the maximum benefit of the nation. In particular, it has focused on understanding the ways in which the library and information science community s core principles of equitable access to information, intellectual freedom and objective stewardship of information should be represented in the digital future. The program has six major areas of focus: identification and broad discussion of technological and societal trends that are relevant to libraries and public access to information; the identification of and improvement of relevant data sources for these trends; advocacy for appropriate policies and practices based on those trends; identification of scenarios, models and specific directions in technology 5
and society that hold the most promise for advancing the interests of the library and information science community; engagement of that community in the development of appropriate visions, strategies, positions and messages; and, assistance to that community in taking a greater leadership role in shaping its future in the digital world. o Projects in ALA s Offices focused on future trends impacting libraries. ALA s Office for Intellectual Freedom, Office Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Office for Diversity, Office for Literacy and Outreach and Office for Accreditation routinely gather data ranging from LIS graduation rates to diversity to intellectual freedom and privacy challenges. The Center will provide a mechanism for bringing this data along with relevant external data together. Create a branded matrix across a diverse association. ALA has a complex structure that has grown to meet the needs of academic, public, school and specialized libraries. This structure with its 11 divisions, 20 round tables, and 1,340 committees can be daunting. Yet, given the widespread interest in the identification of trends and their incorporation into library planning and innovation, it offers a powerful, profession-wide tool. In the fall of 2012, a group of divisional leaders, along with the ALA Executive Board, gathered to reimagine ALA. Among the significant threads to emerge from that discussion was the concept of a Center for the Future of Libraries. In follow-up work with Division executives on that concept, what is emerging is the branded matrix with the Center for the Future of Libraries serving as a central focus for efforts across the Association. This will allow groups ranging from the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Public Library Association and the American Association to School Librarians to the Map and Geospatial Information Round Table to contribute from their strength to the shared mission of identifying trends affecting libraries and their communities and incorporating that information into library planning and innovation. Enlist partners. The Center will build new networks and create new opportunities to partner with groups that the Association has not worked with before, starting with development of a network of advisory groups and volunteers. Advisory groups will provide specialized input in a variety of areas, ranging from use of media and new technology to future studies and forecasting. As the Center identifies particular issues of focus, advisory groups in those areas will serve as key resources. The ALA is already heavily networked: o ALA has 28 affiliate organizations, extending its potential reach into all parts of the library and information world. (See Appendix 1: List of ALA Affiliates) 6
o ALA is an active participant in the international community, through its IFLA participation, the global @your library campaign, its 1,016 international personal members, 200 international library members, and other efforts. o ALA s various divisions have broadened that network, particularly in the education environment, e.g., through ALA s participation in the accreditation of teacher education. o ALA staff are involved with the American Society of Association Executives, the World Future Society and other organizations. Work closely with the AAM Center for the Future of Museums. The Center for the Future of Museums was established by the American Alliance of Museums in 2008. Since then, it has built a significant resource for forecasting within the museum environment, and has undertaken a number of specific projects based on significant trends, e.g., a sustainable communities project. In addition, it has learned by experience what has worked and what has not. The ALA Center for the Future of Libraries will work closely with the AAM CFM both in its establishment phase and on an ongoing basis. The proposed IMLS planning grant includes support for the involvement of the Director of the AAM CFM in the collaborative planning process (2013-2014). As libraries and museums share many common challenges and will both be operating in the same future many synergies are envisioned. This planning phase will explore how the two Centers might share resources, research, ideas, and innovative ideas and practices. This builds on a long history of collaboration through the Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums, a joint committee of SAA, ALA and AAM. ALA CFL Year One will focus on basic planning that will shape the activities of the Center in future years and on building awareness of and engagement with the Center. o Year One activities make the following staffing and consultation assumptions: ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels will provide significant leadership to this project in Year One. A contract developer will be retained for proposal development. (see budget) A full-time director will be hired during the grant period. (see budget) ALA will work closely with the AAM CFM. (see budget) To bring resources together, staff time will be contributed by individuals throughout the Association. o Year One activities will leverage existing ALA strengths and resources to engage members, external allies and thought leaders in collaboratively shaping the future scope and trajectory of the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries. Create an initial CFL web site (within ALA s existing Drupal-based webspace) to provide general information on the Center, links to significant futuring resources to encourage librarians to begin incorporating future thinking into their planning and decision-making, and links to current projects focused on gathering and analyzing trend data. (see budget) Create a futures discussion group using ALA Connect, ALA s social networking platform. 7
Develop a CFL blog as a platform for dissemination and discussion of trend and futuring information. Utilize the ALA Midwinter Meeting (Philadelphia, January 2014) and Annual Conference (Las Vegas, June 2014) for interactive programming that brings together politicians, journalists, philanthropists, academics, and other thought leaders, as well as IMLS and ALA leaders, to share ideas and perspectives on the future and role of libraries. Take advantage of the geographic basis of face-to-face conferences to focus particularly on regional/local voices and perspectives. (see budget) Bring together a small group of thought leaders to examine initial steps and make recommendations for Year Two and Three. (see budget) o The key objectives to be accomplished in Year One include the following: Develop a blended support plan for further CFL development, including both additional grant funding and ALA operational support. Hire an ALA CFL founding director. Brand the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries within ALA and encourage all parts of the Association to focus attention on identifying and articulating trends and incorporating futures thinking into planning and innovation. Test the long-term workability of the proposed package of web resources (e.g., the branded matrix ), social media, face-to-face meetings and virtual meetings to accomplish the ALA CFL work. o Successful completion of Year One activities will enable the CFL to move forward in Year Two and Three along a trajectory that would support the following activities: Continue and build on basic aspects from Year One: blog, social media, use of face-to-face conferences. Create an ad hoc advisory group, including key stakeholders and external perspectives, to help guide ongoing planning. Produce initial publication(s) on trends and related issues of concern to libraries. Expand educational program, e.g., focusing on the technical aspects of forecasting and their use in library planning. Begin development of a forecasting network. Create a virtual innovation space for sharing of ideas, experimentation and innovative practices. Expand issue-specific activities, including such things as colloquia and original research and white papers. Involve additional funders in CFL supporting activities and issue-specific programs. Project Resources For the grant period (September 2013-August 2014) a direct project budget of $125,000 is anticipated, including a requested $50,000 from IMLS and $75,000 from ALA s operating budget. 8
Personnel: Project director of record, start of Year One, will be Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director, ALA. (resume attached) A 10% time contribution is assumed. The intent is to signal the highest level of organizational support, to engage the ALA Executive Board and other top leadership, and to facilitate collaboration with the American Alliance of Museums and other national organizations. (ALA in-kind contribution) A Planning/Development Coordinator will be retained to develop year 2-3 plans, funding proposals and the initial architecture of print publications, face-to-face meetings and social media. The Planning/Development Coordinator will work directly with the ALA Executive Director. (IMLS funds) During Year One, the Center will transition to a full-time Director. (IMLS and ALA operating funds) Staff across the Association will contribute time to bring resources and work-streams together to support the CFL. (ALA in-kind contribution) External Consultation: ALA will contract with the AAM CFM for consultation during Year One, with the aim of transferring as much start-up learning as possible from AAM s successful launch. (IMLS funds) Other Costs: ALA will invest in design and build-out of the CFL website, using Drupal, within ALA s web space. (IMLS fund; ALA operating funds) ALA will bring together an expert panel, including thought leaders external to the library environment as well as library thought leaders, at the ALA Annual Conference. Some travel support is included. (IMLS funds; ALA operating funds) ALA will form the initial ad hoc advisory panel. (ALA operating funds) ALA will use a broad range of internal (ALA-based) communications tools and resources, supplemented by external communications resources where needed. (ALA operating funds) Diversity Plan Through its specialized Offices, 11 Divisions, 20 Round Table as well as 51 Chapters and 28 Affiliate relationships ALA looks at a broadly diverse library landscape. The library and information professionals who are engaged through this organizational network in turn serve libraries in all community settings and all sizes, reflecting the diversity of contemporary global society. This organizational diversity direct and indirect is a key asset in the development and success of the Center for the Future of Libraries. A sense of the diversity that is wired into the Association may be gained by looking at the treatment of literacy. A quick search of the ALA website will yield resources and programs on emergent literacy, family literacy, financial literacy, information literacy, digital literacy, geospatial literacy, English-as-a-Second-Language and more. While ALA s layered structure 9
increases complexity it also ensures that important issues are seen from the varying perspectives of many specializations and many environments. Aspirational kitchen table conversations at the most recent ALA Annual Conference saw strong participation from two groups in particular: ALA Spectrum Scholars (now an active alumni body of 782) and ALA Emerging Leaders (numbering 640 as of 2013). These two groups are expected to respond positively to establishment of the Center for the Future of Libraries and to be early and active participants in future planning for the CFL, its activities and products. They will bring critical generational, cultural and ethnic diversity to discussion and planning. Communication Plan ALA will utilize a variety of communication vehicles both broadcast and conversational in this work: o Through American Libraries, both the print publication and an accompanying array of digital products, ALA reaches to its entire membership and beyond. o o (www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org ) ALA s Public Information Office annually produces The State of America s Libraries, drawing on data from many sources. This will offer a prime vehicle to distribute work from the Center. (www.ala.org/news/sites/ala.org.news/files/content/2013-state-of-americas-libraries-report.pdf ) ALA s website will be used to collect and curate resources for the CFL. An example of the approach may be seen in the Transforming Libraries page. (www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/ ) o ALA Connect, ALA s social media platform, provides working space for formal groups as well as flexible convening and collaboration space for a changing, expanding array of ad hoc groups. o ALA conferences provide exceptional venues for face-to-face meetings, attracting thousands of attendees from across the U.S. and internationally. Leadership from ALA and other associations routinely meet at ALA conferences. Programming, updates and conversations at the ALA Midwinter Meeting and ALA Annual Conference can reasonably be expected to draw 150-300 people, or more, depending on the specific program/event design and intent. o ALA is a full-service publishers, with multiple journals and imprints, in both digital and print formats. This offers exceptional potential for self-publishing Center studies. o Some support is assumed for selective use of external communications resources, as needed for production of high-level brochures or communication vehicles. Sustainability Plan While many parts of the ALA CFL are deeply integrated into the business and operational model of the Association, the speed and trajectory of CFL expansion will depend on putting together a future funding package that includes (a) budgeted support for Center staffing, (b) additional grant support to help develop scope and capacity, and (c) revenue from ongoing sales of products and services. Defining that package is a primary task in year one. At the same time, the fact that the CFL initially relies heavily on bringing together with a new focus existing organizational components such as the ALA Office for Research significantly reduces the risk inherent in any new venture. This is a new venture with a well-developed root system. 10