This reflective piece is written by LAS-WLIC grant recipient Lim Siu Chen (Research Librarian, NUS Libraries) about her trip to IIFS 2024 in Brisbane, Australia.
Views Expressed Disclaimer
Views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent that of the author’s place of work.
Right (from left to right): Xia Wei, Senior Librarian at SMU Libraries; the author; and Law Loo Shien, Team Lead, Digital Technology & Analytics at NTU Library (photo credit: Salihin Mohammed Ali)
Have you ever stayed up at night wondering how to remain relevant in today’s rapidly evolving information landscape? Or maybe – like me – you’ve wondered how our roles as librarians must evolve as we face a range of challenges, from Artificial Intelligence to shrinking resource pools.
Suffice it to say that I had high hopes that I’d find some answers to these questions at the IFLA Information Futures Summit (IIFS) 2024. I’m pleased to report that the organizers have made good on their promise, and I’ve returned to Singapore with many gifts from the thoughtful librarians at the conference, new LinkedIn connections, and a head full of knowledge and ideas. Here’s what impacted me the most at IIFS 2024!
The IFLA Trend Report 2024: A Literature Review
My main takeaways from the conference are based around the IFLA Trend Report – a 134-page document looking at how the information and knowledge environment is shaped by, and shapes, what happens in other fields. (Dezuanni & Osman, 2024). The authors of this literature review identified 7 major trends summarized in the visual below:
As an academic librarian interested in information literacy education and research, the top three trends that stood out to me were trends 2, 4 and 7, on technologies, skills and community respectively.
#1 Digital Transformation of Libraries: Not Just About Technologies, but a Frame of Mind
The past few years have shown that we must adapt and adopt digital technologies as appropriate to keep up with the evolving information landscape. However, this must be complemented by a frame of mind that embraces “digital dexterity”. This is best explained through some of the examples shared at the conference:
- Artificial intelligence (generally) and its potential to automate various aspects of library practice (Keynote on “AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions” by Marek Kowalkiewicz)
- Generative AI and its pervasive effect on all areas of library work including:
- Research consultations (Ignite Talk on “Creating a Patron Mentoring Model to Enhancing Librarian Consultations in the GenAI Era” by Yali Feng from the United States of America)Immersive spaces with AI powered stories and visuals to spark curiosity and interest in reading (Keynote on “Conversations and Provocations” by Ng Cher Pong and Gene Tan, documented in this writeup on the National Library Board of Singapore)AI Powered Chatbooks that allow users to interact with a book in a dialogue format (see this writeup by the National Library Board of Singapore)
- Chatbots to engage with digitized special collections on landmark historical events (from Ignite Talk on “Generative AI – engaging with Heritage Collections” by Anna Raunik)
- XR immersive technologies, in particular VR and AR were mentioned by multiple speakers as technology trends that are likely to influence the library industry.
- 360 technologies such as digital twins that may be used for wayfinding in libraries (Ignite Talk on “Digital Twins: ReImagining Library Engagement with Spatial Imaging” by Mike Daly)
Aside from the discussions on recent technologies, I was also impressed by the coverage of established technologies, and how these may evolve to meet current needs. One notable example being the Research Paper (A very rare example of a 17th Century technology that is still in use!), and how the scholarly record can be improved by capturing more information such as author names and gender (see this paper for more information). In an age where machines are doing much of the reading, research papers should not be written for humans alone. There is a need to augment the machine-readability of the content we produce (from Keynote on “Entering the Linguistic Age: Challenges and Opportunities for the Scholarly Record” by Daniel Hook)
Tech tools aside, it is necessary to cultivate digital dexterity, as mentioned by Keynote Speaker Masud Khokhar, current chair of Research Libraries UK (RLUK), in his talk about “Leading the Library Response”. Digital dexterity is a combination of beliefs, mindsets and behaviours that accelerate digital transformation. Libraries seeking digital transformation would do well to pay attention to this. According to Gartner, organisations that are digitally dexterous are 3.3 times more likely to achieve successful digital transformation.
This bring us to the next question – can libraries identify and cultivate the attitude and skills needed in a changing environment?
#2 Professional Development: Professional (Hard) and Soft Skills Are Equally Important
Professional Skills are Important. Librarians need to develop practical, critical and digital skills to thrive (from “Presenting the 2024 Trend Report” by Michael Dezuanni and Kim Osman). Digital skills such as understanding the differences between traditional technologies and generative AI (including prompt engineering) are going to be important. Similarly, in an age of information saturation and the prevalence of misinformation, there is a pressing need to shore up media and information literacy skills, for learners to critically consume information and better discern its accuracy.
This was echoed in the session “Open Panel on the 2024 Trend Report” in which an international panel of speakers responded to questions on trends in the library industry. In the context of the rapid development of AI, questions were posed such as “How do we ensure that librarians have these skills? And what is the first step in that process?”. The response was that new career paths in technology and information may have the potential to address the skills gaps needed as AI continues to transform the information landscape. The panel also shared the view that libraries and librarians’ data collections and curated collections were important unique selling points. In the panel discussion on “AI and I”, it was mentioned that librarian curation skills are more important as ever to preserve information integrity and act as bastions of truth.
Soft Skills are (Arguably) Even More Important. Aside from professional skills, there was plenty of talk about the human side of library skills needed to connect with our users and colleagues, such as:
- The value of empathy and promoting informal learning in libraries (from Keynote “Libraries and Access to Information as a Common Public Good” by Ana Filipa Vrdoljak)
- The value of mentoring and relationships and cultural dexterity in providing consultations (from Ignite Talk “Creating a Patron Mentoring Model to Enhancing Librarian Consultations in the GenAI Era” by Yali Feng)
- Our need to exercise “critical thinking” when interacting with information (from Keynote on “Information Integrity and its Impacts” by Damian Cardona Onses). For example, using our human wisdom to detect biases in Generative AI (from Panel on “AI and I”).
- Aside from domain knowledge, behavioural, soft skills and management skills are going to be important (a point made by Dr Gina de Alwis in the Ignite Talk “Future Proofing the LIS workforce in Asia – Small Steps to Bridge the Skills Gap”)
But just acquiring and growing these hard and soft skills is not the end-all. The next question is – in what contexts and ways can we exercise the above skills in the library to benefit our community?
#3 Building Communities: Human Touch in an Age of Technology
We need to think about how the trends above apply to the specific culture and environment of our communities. Libraries do not operate in a vacuum; they must prioritize resources and efforts that best meet the needs of each of their communities, locales and environment.
In the keynote on “From Social Media to Generative AI: How Do We Keep Society in the Loop?” by Jean Burgess, it was mentioned during the Q&A session that librarians are not only to connect people with knowledge. Librarians are to find ways to connect people with each other, and create spaces and infrastructures to foster creative and engaged communities in their contexts.
Another idea presented by Jingzhu Wei from China on moving beyond the traditional library remit of providing books and spaces, was a project on creating a platform of cultural activities. Libraries can serve the community through providing a “culture platform” to enable better discovery of cultural activities by the community (Ignite Talk on “A new ontology of cultural activities – Let’s explore the vibrant public cultural activities and experience the charm of Chinese culture”).
Left: A little bit of library in everything. This was a cozy reading corner at the University of Queensland Art Museum.
Right: The Biological sciences library which boasts two energy pods for afternoon relaxation.
How Can We Prepare Ourselves for the Future?
The learning points above led me to consider whether there were adequate training opportunities closer to home which would help us learn the latest and most relevant skills required to adapt in an agile manner? Thankfully, we do!
- LAS’s Training and Development programmes which include webinars, tours and conferences (join as a member for access to these exciting opportunities);
- SMU’s Emerging Library Leaders’ Summer School for Asia-Pacific;
- NTU’s Masters of Science in Information Studies and FlexiMasters in Library Leadership and Management;
- NUS Libraries newly launched course on “Transforming University Libraries Leadership & Innovation Programme” (TULLIP), aimed at equipping librarians to lead transformational change in libraries in today’s information landscape.
The IIFS 2024 has definitely given me plenty to chew on, and I hope these reflections have given you some food for thought on the evolution of our profession. The future certainly looks promising, but it is only when we come together as a professional body that we can truly build a stronger and brighter future for our libraries in Singapore and beyond!
P/S: If you were unable to be part of the IIFS, you can check out the live stream recordings of the opening and closing sessions at this IFLA YouTube Playlist.
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my thanks to the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) for their generous grant, which enabled me to attend the conference. This opportunity has significantly enriched my professional development and networking within the library community. I also extend my sincere thanks to the National University of Singapore Libraries for their approval and support, which facilitated my participation in this important event. The insights gained will undoubtedly contribute to my ongoing work and the broader library sector. Thank you once again for your invaluable support. Thank you Yee Xin for encouraging me to apply for the grant. Thank you also to Mrs Lee Cheng Ean, Magdeline, Sukanya, Kah Wei, Marcus and Natalie for looking through drafts of this piece.
Disclosures
This article is an original piece written by the author; Generative AI was used to conduct grammar checks and assess the flow of the document.