Envisioning the library of the future

Envisioning the library of the future is a major research project undertaken by the Arts Council in 2012/13 that will help to understand the future for libraries, and how they can be developed. It is intended to help the Arts Council and their partners in the library sector to set out the value, role and purpose of public libraries with more clarity, pointing out ways they can respond to change in order to remain at the heart of their communities, and to provide a focus for their work in the future. Ipsos, along with Shared Intelligence Ltd, was commissioned by Arts Council England to run phases one and two of this three phase programme of research.

Download the report (PDF) Envisioning the library of the future Phases 1 and 2: full report by Ipsos & Shared Intelligence  

Technical note

Ipsos and Shared Intelligence undertook phases one and two of the Envisioning the library of the future research programme. Phase one consisted of a trends review that amassed and analysed data on the technological advances, societal trends and demographic changes that will affect the way people engage with libraries in the future, and a review of innovations in library services that are already taking place around the world. Phase two comprised three distinct elements, all of which were informed by the findings of phase one: • Over 200 sector experts were invited to participate in a Delphi survey to understand the impact of technological advances, societal trends and demographic changes on libraries. • An online conversation on the future of library service delivery. People were encouraged to visit the blog, comment on the posts and contribute to the conversation via Twitter using the hashtag #ACElibraries. • Five workshops were held across England in mid May 2012, with 60 to 80 attendees at each one. The workshops were an opportunity for librarians, authors, campaigners, service providers, academics and others to discuss the findings of the research to date and to reflect upon what the library of the future should look like. Research carried out to date was presented to delegates on the day. Video content from one of the events is available on the libraries conversation blog. For further information visit Arts Council England.