Riding the waves or caught in the tide?
Insights from the IFLA Trend Report
Frédéric Blin, IFLA Treasurer
June 16th, 2014
Who am I?
Head of Preservation and
Heritage Collections,
National and University
Library of Strasbourg
(France)
Member of the Governing Board of IFLA
since August 2011
IFLA Treasurer since August 2013
Chair of the IFLA Trend Report Working
Group between December 2011 and
August 2013
Member of the National Organizing
Committee of the WLIC 2014 in Lyon
IFLA : The International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions
IFLA : more than 1500 members in
more than 150 countries
Annual conference with ~3500
participants, from 160 countries. Next
one in Lyon, France, August 16-22
Core activities: professionnal
development, freedom of access to
information and freedom of expression
(FAIFE), norms and standards,
copyright, preservation of
documentary heritage…
Observer by the UN, UNESCO, WIPO…
Current topics:
• Internet governance
• E-book
• Exceptions and limitations to
copyright laws for libraries and
archives
• World Summit on the Information
Society
• UN Post-2015 development goals
• …
IFLA : The International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions
IFLA :
the global voice of libraries
www.ifla.org
The IFLA Trend Report
Main goal : produce a resource to help IFLA members reflect on the
future of libraries and of their missions and actions as librarians
IFLA GB working group (2011-2013): F. Blin, I. Lunden (Sweden), C.
Mckenzie (Australia). Since August 2013: chaired by L. Garcia-Febo (USA)
From a Vision Report to a Trend Report : look outside the libraries’ world,
to identify the major trends today and in the near future in the broader
field of information, which will potentially impact on the role and
activities of libraries
The IFLA Trend Report :
the genesis
2012 : definition of the objectives, of the methodology and of budget
2013 :
• Jan.: Littérature review; creation of an online repository of liniks
• Feb: Written submissions by international experts
• March: Expert roundtable in Mexico City
Participants to the Mexico City roundtable, March 4-5, 2013
L’IFLA Trend Report : la genèse
The IFLA Trend Report :
the genesis
2012 : definition of the objectives, of the methodology and of budget
2013 :
• Jan.: Littérature review; creation of an online repository of liniks
• Feb: Written submissions by international experts
• March: Expert roundtable in Mexico City
• April: Written synthesis of the Mexico rountable
• May: Additional key questions debated by experts on online platform
discussion forum
• June: Wider group of experts invited to contribute and comment
• July: All the elements are published on the Trend Report online platform
• August: Insights document produced highlighting 5 top level trends;
official launch of the platform during the WLIC2013 in Singapore
Official launch of the online platform trends.ifla.org by IFLA President Ingrid Parent,
during the WLIC 2013 congress in Singapore, August 19th, 2013
What can you find on the platform?
All resources produced: littérature review, experts
contributions, summary of the Mexico City roundtable
The Insights Document
An open discussion forum
Events and news
=> Trends.ifla.org
Open for further contributions!
The IFLA Trend Report :
since last year
Our goal :
That the IFLA community engages and reflects on the
conclusions, informations, questions, hyptheses… contained
in the report
This is not a closed resource, but an ongoing
collaborative work that needs to be enriched by
external contributions
The IFLA Trend Report :
since last year
The Insights document was translated in several
languages:
• French
• 5 other official IFLA languages: Arabic,
Chinese, German, Russian, Spanish
• But also: Estonian, Finnish, Malay,
Norwegian, Swedish
The IFLA Trend Report :
since last year
Presented and discussed in many countries:
• Yuzhno-Sakhaline, Russia
• London (UK)
+ many publications…
• Helsinki (Finland)
• Virginia (USAs)
• Hamilton (New-Zeland)
• Rome (Italy)
• Havana (Cuba)
• Canberra (Australia)
• Bremen(Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Singapore, Brasil, Ghana,
Mexico…
• Next Friday in Paris
The IFLA Trend Report in Lyon
IFLA WLIC in Lyon : 1st anniversary of the Trend Report
Several sessions around the Trend Report :
• Library standards: confluence with world trends
• Future trends in leadership and management
• Disrupting and Colliding : New Trends for Access, Privacy, Learning,
Empowerment and Technology
• Aug.20th, MLAS: What's next? Moving on from the IFLA Trend Report
IFLA President Sinikka Sippilä‘s theme: Strong Libraries, Strong Societies
The 5 top level trends
Trend 1:
New technologies will both expand and limit who has access to information
Themes and questions:
When information is so easy to share – can anyone really own it?
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Explosion of mobile access to information
Information and computer literacy
Next billion connected people, from the developing world
Tension between intellectual property and technological
innovation
• Questioning of ownership and content
• TPMs vs Commons
• Challenges on business models of online service providers
Trend 2:
Online education will transform and disrupt traditional learning
Themes and questions:
If online education is free, then how much is it really worth?
• E-learning, MOOCS: transformation of the global learning
landscape
• Increased importance of lifelong learning
• The education market and the impact on education
institutions
• Open access to information and science
• Cost of education
Trend 3:
The boundaries of data protection and privacy will be redefined
Themes and questions:
Who’s profiting from your personal information?
• Privacy
• Trust of citizens towards their governments / towards their
search engines
• Control of private data by compagnies and governments
• Net neutrality
• One global internet vs multiple national networks: the end of
the Internet?
• Google glasses
Trend 4:
Hyper-connected societies will listen to and empower new groups
Themes and questions:
Who will be most empowered by greater transparency and citizen access to public
sector data – politicians, citizens or corporations?
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E-democracy
E-government
Open Data
Role of internet in social revolutions
New modes of political engagement
Role and opportunities for women
Simulated virtual environments and open data for more
effective evidence-based policy-making
Trend 5:
The global information economy will be transformed by new technologies
Themes and questions:
When your phone, you car and your wristwatch know where you are at all times
– who runs your life?
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3-D printing
Automatic translations
Artificial intelligence
Globalization of access to markets
Upraising of developing countries
Impact on demographic movements
The Internet of things
Trends accross the trends
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Demography
Global vs Local
Information literacy
Privacy and control: the Snowden impact
Role of information for Development
Copyright and commons
Opportunities for libraries?
Libraries as:
• Players in the education and lifelong learning of people
• Keepers of neutrality and privacy
• Places for technological and economic experiments and
innovations
• Defenders of the citizens’ rights to information access
and usage
• Engines for social and economic development
What is IFLA doing?
« Strong Libraries, Strong Societies »:
• WSIS +10
• Internet Governance Forum
• UN Post-2015 Development goals: Beyond Access ; Lyon
Declaration
• TLIB, an international WIPO Treaty on exceptions and
limitations to copyright laws for libraries and archives
• Building Strong Library Associations
http://trends.ifla.org
Conclusion
Engage!
Disseminate!
Exchange!
Contribute!
The IFLA Trend Report
is for you!
Conclusion
And of course,
support IFLA !
Thank you for your attention,
and see you all soon in Lyon and Strasbourg !
Frédéric Blin
Frederic.blin@bnu.fr
On LinkedIn and Twitter: @BFL50