2002 Volume 45 Issue 1 Pages 1
Progress in digital materials has changed librarianship drastically. With this situation how will libraries go ahead in the years to come? The author first proposes three types of future libraries. Digital technology creates possibility of actualizing “universal library” which is wall-less library. “Private library” is also actualized by digital technology, meeting individual or local information needs library user has. That is, in private library a user is allowed to get access to information meeting his/her needs through networking of electronic forms. The third one is “modern library”. It has public facility and core value which the modern library has had traditionally. The strong and weak points are described on each type of library. Then the author proposes the fourth type of library, “hybrid library”. It is pointed out that the future hybrid library with virtual presence should employ a portal model for object area it has. On the other hand the hybrid library is supposed to have value of sharing public facility among the users the same way traditional library used to have. To enter such a library world of must be a big challenge to librarians involved in it.
