Prospects: a strategy for action

[1] The Vision

1.1

Library and information services need a pragmatic and farsighted foundation for the twenty first century, in recognition that effective practice requires underpinning knowledge. Most importantly, insight and innovation are required, to sustain and improve the contribution that library and information services make to society.

The information society environment

1.2

The rapidly changing environment in which library and information services are operating presents many challenges and opportunities for change. The vast and growing agenda of issues within this environment means that there is an even greater need for the library and information services community to focus on areas which match both its own and government objectives.

1.3

The features which members of the Library and Information Commission have identified in 2020 Vision as significant elements of the information society environment are that:

• Technology gives the potential for universal access to information and all information becomes potentially available
• Access to knowledge and information underpins a democratic society
• Information is an international commodity
• Knowledge underpins all successful economic activity
• Industry is increasingly dependent upon an informed workforce
• Information must be accessible
• Information must be organised and managed
• Information skills are fundamental coping skills
• Information needs are increasingly complex and may be met from multiple sources
• The discontinuities between technology and our abilities to deal with it need to be understood and managed
• The library and information sector is a substantial part of the UK economy

The role of the United Kingdom

1.4

We believe that the United Kingdom will play a leading role in the global information economy through:

Connectivity

providing universal access to the products of the human mind

Content

creating a digital library of the UK's intellectual heritage of culture and innovation

Competences

equipping individuals and organisations to play their full role in a learning and information society.

1.5

These concepts provide the framework for the Library and Information Commission's role of promoting the value and impact of library and information services in social, educational, political and economic contexts.

The 2020 Vision statements

1.6

The Library and Information Commission's 2020 Vision statements articulate its vision of the information society:

• Governments, companies and individuals will put a top priority on information
• The United Kingdom will be an information and knowledge-based society with the UK acting as a knowledge powerhouse and a hub of the global information economy
• In the global information economy the United Kingdom will be a world leader in connectivity, standards, content development, management and mediation skills
• Industry and commerce will be more knowledge-intensive learning organisations
• There will be an information economy which empowers citizens through a network of information and knowledge centres acting as flagships for access in their community
• There will be a digital library collection co-ordinated nationally and internationally embracing the world's knowledge and creativity in which the United Kingdom's heritage of intellectual property will be globally available in digital form
• Value added content and universal connectivity will ensure that every individual will have the opportunity for access to global information and knowledge
• Individuals will need a range of literacies to enable them to maximise their potential individually and collectively

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