Trend Report

About the trend report

In December 2011 the IFLA Governing Board set up a Steering Committee to commission a major Trend Report modelling the evolving digital information environment. The IFLA Trend Report will provide detailed options for libraries across the world to position themselves internationally within this environment, and advise them of the projected social, cultural, economic and legal consequences of these options. The report will offer a useful resource for librarians, policy makers and the public to help all stakeholders better understand the role of libraries in a digital age.

The IFLA Trend Report will be the first resource of its kind available to the international library community. Over the past decade there have been many reports published regarding the future of the library, or the library of the future. The IFLA Trend Report is building on these publications, as well as referencing others from a variety of disciplines looking at the emerging trends in society today. The IFLA Trend Report is not just concerned with what libraries will look like in a decade’s time – it is interested in what society might look like, and how libraries might adapt to best serve society’s needs.

Contents of the IFLA Trend Report

The development of the IFLA Trend Report incorporates a number of phases. The first phase was a literature review of existing trend reports, and the development of a supporting document repository. Following this, ten experts were invited to submit short papers outlining societal trends they believe will have important effects on the global information environment. Once the papers were received the main themes were extracted and an agenda drawn up for an intense two day meeting of experts which took place in Mexico in March 2013.

The literature review, the repository and the submitted papers comprise the first three parts of the Trend Report. The fourth part is a synthesis of the discussions that took place in Mexico. In May, this synthesis will be shared with a new group of experts who will be invited to provide further commentary. Once comments have been received the fifth and final part of the Trend Report will be produced , a concluding document that identifies the most pressing trends affecting the information environment.

All parts of the Trend Report will be available via the online platform, and a paper summary version will also be produced. Both versions will be launched at the IFLA’s annual Congress in Singapore in August 2013.

Last update: 8 May 2013