Scenario Planning: The End Result

My last scenario almost wrote itself as the philosophy that underlies my visions became clear:

• Worst case: librarians rigidly hold on to old models (pre-Y2K models) and die as more nimble competitors do a better job at doing our job.
• Middle case: librarians do much what they have since their inception, holding onto traditional values but molding them to meet patron needs and other new challenges.
• Best case: librarians let go of all preconceptions and free themselves to do whatever is necessary to survive and thrive.

Now, just because I've tagged it as "best case," I definitely see some downsides to the best case scenario. Some of the staff in that scenario are uncomfortable with the changes being made, and that would need to be addressed. In addition, there is little attention paid to the archival function of libraries, which remains important even in a digital age. I'm sure there are other things missing as well.

However, I think the underlying idea of freeing ourselves to do what needs to be done would also allow us to answer complex questions like that of preservation. It's almost an open-source or organic model of librarianship; if we're free to think, free to follow our thoughts, and free to grow, I think we'll also be free to succeed.

WDT