Next Gen/Next Decade Libraries

We worked  with 24 university library leaders from Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai in 2011, as part of a leadership program called Next Gen/Next Decade. The program was initiated and project managed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library. Combining the skills and perspectives of professionals from ten separate libraries and three cities (Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai), three project teams worked independently to tackle the following:

• looking at the key capabilities needed over the next decade in academic libraries across the region
• identifying new library service models, especially the impact of mobile technologies on services to students and academics
• finding new ways to build collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders like publishers, system providers and faculty members.

The program ran over four months, with face-to-face workshops serving as bookends in July and October, and nine tele-workshops held during the intervening months. Project team members were keen to take on additional research and try out new things on top of their busy workloads.  Special guests, from outside the library world, were invited to pop in for conversations about a range of leadership issues. Some of these guests were able to come in person; others made a virtual appearance. In late October, some of the library directors who had sponsored participants to come to the program were able to come long and hear what the teams had achieved. Each project team gave a short (and fabulous) presentation, and there was a strong desire from some participants to continue the collective learning process in some way.

 

Annie Talvé and Monica Redden (2011)
Client: Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library