A wise Danish parliamentarian once observed, "It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future." This is no less true of libraries than it is of any other subject, but that hasn't stopped people from trying.
From digital transformation to the physical design of library buildings, there has been no shortage of speculation about the shape of libraries to come. Let's take a look at a few predictions and see how they stack up to present-day trends. After all, today is just yesterday's tomorrow, or words to that effect.
1. Library workers will double as tech wizards
The prediction
In Library 2020: Today’s Leading Visionaries Describe Tomorrow’s Library (a collection of essays edited by Joseph Janes and published in 2013), Sarah Houghton predicted that by 2020, libraries would be staffed and managed by technologically sophisticated individuals whom she described as “benign geek librarian overlords”.
The reality
Library professionals in 2025 might not yet be the technology sherpas that Houghton envisioned, but she wasn't too far off the mark. In January of this year, the IFLA report Learning to Lead highlighted the need for leadership training in public and academic libraries, emphasizing “technological proficiency” as a key skill for future leaders.
Modern librarians are certainly tech-savvy, driving digital transformation to expand access and enhance services. They curate eBooks, audiobooks, and digital newspaper and magazine platforms like PressReader, implement online catalogs and virtual events, and lead digital literacy programs. Technologies like radio frequency identification (RFID) and data analytics boost efficiency, while mobile apps and educational partnerships strengthen community learning.
2. Hybrid shelves will feature books and screens
The prediction
In a study published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship in 2017, Coen Wilders, who was then the Head of Academic Services at Utrecht University Library in the Netherlands, explored the expanding availability of eBooks and digital journals in academic libraries.
Wilders speculated that, by 2025, library shelves might incorporate screens to display information about digital publications alongside physical books. This could help maintain a cohesive and up-to-date collection while encouraging students and visitors to engage with both print and digital materials. Such an approach was seen as a way to better integrate library resources and expand how literature is accessed.
The reality
While we don't have knowledge of any libraries, either academic or public, that make information available via screens on the shelves alongside traditional publications in quite the way Wilders envisioned, there's no denying that digital resources have become even more prevalent in the past eight years.
Libraries have broadened their collections to include digital books, audiobooks and other online resources, allowing patrons to borrow and download materials remotely for greater accessibility and convenience.
Many are also providing access to digital news platforms like PressReader, giving users a seamless way to explore thousands of newspapers and magazines — from global to local publications — across a variety of interests.
3. Libraries will serve a more homogeneous population
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The prediction
As cited by Princeton University librarian Wayne Bivens-Tatum on his blog, a 1933 article by pioneering librarian and information scientist Jesse Shera in the Library Quarterly made some bold predictions about how the demographics of the United States would affect the daily work of the country's library professionals.
In coming years, Shera wrote, "the curtailing of immigration will not only be reflected in our rapidly falling birth-rate, but our population will more and more become racially homogeneous, so that library work with the foreign born will become decreasingly important."
The reality
As Bivens-Tatum succinctly observed, "He sure got that one wrong."
We could spend many paragraphs putting Shera's words into historical perspective. Instead, we will just note that modern libraries (not just in the U.S. but all over the world) actively foster inclusivity by celebrating diversity and multiculturalism in their communities. Here are a few of the ways they do this:
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Curating diverse collections: Libraries build inclusive collections by offering books and digital resources in multiple languages, reflecting the cultures and perspectives of their patrons. PressReader, for example, provides access to publications from over 120 countries in dozens of languages.
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Prioritizing diversity in hiring: Libraries follow diversity guidelines to ensure an inclusive workforce and provide ongoing cultural competency training for staff.
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Showcasing cultural exhibits and film screenings: Librarians create exhibits highlighting different cultural histories and organize film screenings to encourage cross-cultural dialogue.
4. Libraries will disappear altogether
The prediction
In 2012, a Quora user posed the question "Will public libraries become extinct?" A fellow user named Marc Bodnick — who happened to be Quora's head of business and community at the time — stepped up to answer this query, and Forbes reposted his response.
Bodnick's take was that, as more consumers purchase Kindles and other eReaders, libraries (and therefore librarians) will quickly become obsolete. Here's some of what he had to say on the matter:
To be clear, I agree that libraries may stick around longer than the underlying consumer behavior supporting them. Why? Because funding libraries is a political, not an economic decision. Nevertheless, I believe strongly that public libraries will turn into ghost towns in five to 15 years, at which point it will become very difficult to justify funding them and keeping them open.
The reality
We can definitively call this one in favor of libraries because, well, they're still here. What Bodnick failed to take into account is that, as reader behavior has changed, libraries have responded in kind. A greater number of public libraries now loan out eBooks and other digital resources.
And while that may not get patrons to leave their screens and head to their local brick-and-mortar branch, there are plenty of other things that do, from author visits and "human library" events to makerspaces and media labs. There's also public libraries' value as critical social infrastructure, which brings us to our final prediction:
5. Libraries will become vital community hubs
The prediction
In the above-cited Library 2020: Today’s Leading Visionaries Describe Tomorrow’s Library, essayists discussing the 2020 library within the community context projected that it would be “essential for the success of its community,” “the vibrant hub of its community,” “better than ever,” and even “your best friend.”
However, as a review in the journal Library Resources & Technical Services pointed out, this optimism doesn’t mean libraries will remain unchanged. To stay central, they must prioritize community engagement, adapt to patrons' needs and act as technological change agents.
The reality
This is one prediction that has unquestionably come true. It's a fact that many a branch serves its library community as a "third place".
What do we mean by that? To define the concept of the third place, let's go to the source: urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg, who coined the term. Oldenburg is the author of The Great Good Place (1991) and Celebrating The Third Place (2000).
Oldenburg writes that "third places" are public spaces where people gather and interact. In contrast to first places (home) and second places (work or school), third places are neutral ground, allowing people to set aside their concerns and enjoy company and conversation.
As we noted in a recent blog post, libraries in 2025 serve a number of other community functions beyond being spaces for social connection. To fill an urgent need, libraries often provide access to essential technology, health services and resources for disaster resilience.
What's next for your local library?
As for what to expect from library services in the next five, 10 or 20 years? Possibly a greater reliance on automation and artificial intelligence tools (and a more urgent focus on AI literacy efforts). Almost certainly closer collaboration with local community organizations.
There will also likely be a number of new technologies and significant societal shifts that we can't even conceive of in 2025; after all, it's hard to make predictions — especially about the future.
