The Future of Rhode Island Libraries
Navigating the Future of Libraries: A Rhode Map
Friday, May 7, 2004
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Concurrent Session Abstracts
Population Trends: Who Will Be Our Future Library Users?
"Demographics explain about two-thirds of everything" according to Foot and Stoffman (1996). Whether predicting school enrollments, levels of certain crimes, numbers and types of housing units, a viable Social Security system and a host of other economic and social needs, the study of population, i.e., numbers, types, distributions, ages, etc., has become recognized as a valuable tool in assessing the characteristics and predicting the needs of society.
The varying numbers of births, deaths and movements of people determine growth rates for an area. Education, income, urbanization, cultural norms and other factors have an influence on these birth and death rates while open borders and economic opportunity drive migration.
This talk will examine some of the views of population growth and decline, the factors that have an impact on population changes and some possible scenarios of future population in the world, the country and the state.
Internet2: Its Impact on the Delivery of Information and Education
Internet2 (I2) is a consortium led by over 200 higher education institutions working in partnership with industry and government to develop the next-generation data and video communications network and applications vital to the research and education mission of higher education.
The Executive Director of OSHEAN, Rhode Island's gateway to I2, will provide an overview and prediction of the future of I2 and its impact on information delivery. The audience will then be introduced to two state-of-the-art multi-media projects that utilize I2 technology. Participants will find out how the Rhode Island JASON Project’s annual expedition brings students in K-12 classrooms around the world into direct, real-time contact with expedition scientists and researchers. And finally, explore how Mystic Aquarium’s Immersion Institute assembles the latest deep-sea technology combining live cameras, a remote-operated robot, and a live web feed that lets participants witness and experience America's National Marine Sanctuaries.
The Librarian and the Learner in the 21st century
Who are our future students and lifelong learners? How will librarians meet the needs of these technologically savvy learners? How can we provide optimal learning opportunities and environments to make sure that the information-seeking process is meaningful and rewarding to both learner and librarian? Join us as we explore how today's research provides insight into the educational needs of tomorrow's students and how we might respond to these challenges when these Internet-age students enter our libraries.
Serving Your Library Patrons in the Future: Developing New Paradigms
How can your library connect to its community?
Find out how to
- Identify wants and needs
- Plan effectively to meet identified needs
- Use limited library resources to meet identified needs
- Allocate resources to meet identified needs
- Evaluate the results
Discover how two public library directors are working with their multi-cultural communities and leave with some everyday methods for assessing and delivering services that customers want.
Meeting Consumer Health Information Needs: New Roads to Access Through Outreach
In this session participants will find out how the role of consumer health information services in libraries is rapidly moving beyond providing access to information and answering basic reference inquiries. The focus will be on how libraries—public, academic, hospital, and special—can contribute to the health of their respective communities through coordinated outreach and collaboration. Case studies and examples will illustrate the following topics:
- Moving beyond traditional approaches to consumer health information and services: new roles for libraries
- Opportunities for multi-type library service and collaboration
- “Hot Topics” for outreach & partnerships including: consumer health as a community building tool; consumer health information services for speakers of languages other than English; health and literacy
- If you build it will they come? Websites that work
- Evaluating our success: Can library services really make our communities healthier?
- Five strategies that you can begin using now
Educating Librarians for the Future
Technological advances in the access and retrieval of information and the abundance of that information have necessitated a rethinking of how librarians are educated. This session will discuss traditional and innovative approaches to preparing the next generation of librarians on how best to meet the needs of library patrons in an information rich world.
Wrap-Up Session: What’s Next for Rhode Island Libraries?
What themes emerged from today’s sessions? How will the trends impact our institutions? What issues should the Rhode Island LibFutures Steering Committee address? This facilitated discussion will crystallize the day’s outcomes and help participants to predict, “what’s next” for Rhode Island libraries.
updated:
4/26/06
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