1. Futures Doodles
Tony Hirst
Computing and Communications Dept,
The Open University, UK
blog.ouseful.info / @psychemedia

2. Whither
the future?

4. Trendspotting

6. Once upon a time (note that once - it means once; it means this is a story) a technological breakthrough made all sorts of
new and wonderful things possible.
The geeks started to play, the technology was touted as being capable of solving all the world's problems and the media had
a field day. The technology only half-worked, of course, but the early adopters were forgiving, partly because they could put
up with a bug or two, partly because there were lots of new, low-hanging fruit applications of the technology appearing on
a regular basis. And so people could play, and they could see that all the promised really wonderful things were only a
matter of time away.
Word got out and the early-middle adopters started to come to the party. The technology still didn't work properly, and the
users were not happy bunnies. Word got out again... but a different word this time. Not a nice word. A nasty word.
The techies continued working on the problems, resolving the usability issues, fixing the bugs. The apps came together,
reliability improved, and people started using the new applications. Not loudly, quietly.
More people used the apps. And more. A few more each day. Have you tried this? they said to each other.
The apps started to be used. More than that, they started to be used every day. Just every day. You know - one of those
things you just use every day. Because they do the job. Not like the first "you HAVE to try THIS" time around. More of "that?
Yeah - we use that too" kind of way.
Clink (what's the sound of a light bulb going on?)
Hey guys - you seen this? I can see the headline already: "Technological breakthrough"

10. mean = meaningless
Segmentationisessential

11. Whatgoeswithwhat?

12. Reputation Systems /
Credentials /
Permissions
It’saQuestionofTrust…

19. What is a
library for?

28. Time was when librarians
helped patrons negotiate
bibliographic databases
on CD-ROMs…

31. Responding
to Scenarios

32. Domestic energy supply
companies are
considering becoming
energy services
Rather than supply you with gas or
electricity, they provide you with a house
heated to 20 degrees and the means to
cook energy efficiently…

33. What services
do libraries
provide?

34. Library as a Discovery service

35. Library as a rediscovery service

36. Library as a monitoring service

37. Library training
Finding images and diagrams

38. From data to information

39. Library as a
place/space
[playspace]

40. Skill tech trends in libraries
• Camera is a photocopier
• Printers/printing
• Annotating/highlighting
• Reference collecting
• Resource discovery
• Resource access
• Skills training???

41. Library as a service
“did you try the library?” (replace with:
Amazon, Google, IT services, your tutor etc)
What questions could/should be
replied to with that question?
What questions does the library
answer?
Workingtheideaofthelibrary?

42. What do/would
do?