NEWS FEATURE
What will drive the British Library until 2030?
The British Library has identified five key trends in a world that is “notably less stable and more prone to sudden, radical change” – these trends define its priorities until 2030. Where does professionalism fit in?
THE British Library has pub- lished its strategy to take it to 2030, called Knowledge Matters, exploring the challenges of the sector and also where profession- al librarians fit into its plans. It’s a high-level abstract document so there is not much detail on any single strand. It starts by identifying the big currents in the world of information and which ones are likely to dominate for the next five years. Technology, dis- information and climate are all there, as is a continuing focus on the value of physical space.
One of the trends that would have been less predictable back in 2017, when it published its Living Knowledge strategy, is the threat to information sharing caused by global instability and distrust.
During the first 50 years of its exist- ence (the BL turns 50 in July 2023) it says the “worldwide community of national libraries has expanded sig- nificantly” sharing knowledge across boundaries “regardless of differences of culture, faith or political system”. But it believes an era of geopolitical instability will “test these principles to the limit” adding that “there are no easy responses to this kind of historic shift in global affairs… But our guiding prin- ciple remains a presumption towards openness, accuracy and the mainte- nance, wherever possible, of cultural dialogue, exchange and collaboration.”
Priority to purpose
The strategy document takes these five trends and turns them into priorities: Access, engagement and inclusion; Modernising our library services; Deepening our partnerships; Sustain- ability and resilience and lastly New spaces, North and South. It then takes these priorities and applies them to its six purposes: Custo- dianship; Research; Business; Culture;
12 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL Learning; International.
There is a specific focus on profes- sionalism in two of these purposes: developing the profession in relation to custodianship purpose, and exploit- ing the value of professionalism in its international purpose.
The challenges of Custodianship The BL faces challenges in finding physical capacity and digital capacity for its growing collections. It points out the professional challenges that will come with this.
“As our collection evolves, so too do the skills we need to care for and understand it. Scholarship and specialist knowledge will always be the foundations of our curatorial skillset – but we also have a priority to ensure that the cultures and practices of curatorship and librarian- ship keep pace with a changing world.” This will focus on things like digital fluency, expanding format ranges, engagement with the public and learners of all ages. It goes on to say: “Sharing of professional skills, practice and knowledge will continue to be a priority, including with public libraries through our Living Knowledge Network, other national libraries, higher education and health libraries and many more.”
International professional But professionalism also seems to be a key ingredient for dealing with tricky international relations. One of the BL’s six purposes is “International” which includes its “work with partners around the world to advance knowl- edge and mutual understanding”. It starts its International section with the words: “The spirit of collaboration and professional dialogue among these national institutions is strong. At a time of heightened uncertainty and risk in international relations, the values which underpin our international work – based on exchange and the sharing of knowl-
Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library.
edge for its own sake – have taken on a new and sharpened significance.” It says: “Because of its sheer scale, the
Library has always had a highly visible role in international professional lead- ership and skills development. Recent initiatives such as our new International Library Leaders Programme have consolidated this role and demonstrated that interest in what we do is, if any- thing, greater than ever before.” But it says finances will define how far this can go: “Within the limits of our resources, we will maintain our engage- ment in these international professional dialogues, whose continuation is, at times like these of increased instability and division, more needed than ever.”
Optimism
In an accompanying blog post, Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library, said: “If the past five decades of the Library’s development have taught us anything, it is the enduring value of having a vision – combined with plan- ning, expertise, creativity and collabo- ration. Although the challenges may be considerable, if we can stay true to those principles and build on the work of our predecessors, we can face the next fifty years with confidence and optimism.”
June 2023
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