FOWL Dispatch: No. 004

10 Predictions on the Future of Work in Libraries

On Wednesday morning I came across an article describing Facebook’s shift in policy towards advertising’s impact on discrimination. One of the lines made me zone out for a couple of hours to consider tangible ways how the future of work in libraries will be different than today.

Tony Zanders @zanders

10 predictions on the future of work in libraries. A thread.

1. Content will become commoditized.

2. Commoditization will lead to Collections-as-a-Service (CaaS).

3. CaaS adoption will dethrone collections as core of library brand.

4. University Librarians will be “Chief Digital Officers”.

5. Digital Initiatives will be monetized.

6. Tenure monopoly will be disrupted by supplemental income opportunities.

7. The library will hire product managers and marketers.

8. Recruitment and training become 24/7/365.

9. Diversity officers won’t exist.

10. “No Code” software development will replace collection management.