Academic Libraries' Stance toward the Future

The literature about academic libraries takes a strong interest in the future, yet little of it reflects on academic libraries' underlying stance toward the years ahead: is there a sense of change or continuity? Is there optimism or pessimism? Consensus or divergence? This article explores these questions using data from interviews with a broad range of practitioners, commentators, and experts. Some see libraries as fundamentally unchanging, while others perceive innovation as a given. There is little consensus about upcoming trends. Some interviewees doubt libraries' ability to deal with change, but others feel considerable optimism.