Next Generation Libraries Hit Hong Kong with OCLC - Digital Learning for the Future

The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), the global library cooperative, will hold its annual Asia Pacific Regional Council (APRC) Meeting in Hong Kong on 1 and 2 December with the theme, “Tracking Digital Footprints: Recognizing and Predicting User Behavior.” The conference will host librarians, leading research scientists and academics from around the world for a series of high-level discussions that explore next-generation libraries from their technological, moral, societal and generational perspectives. The meeting will also include plenary sessions that focus on key areas of evolving library culture such as: e services, digitization, teaching and learning, diversifying forms of study and integrating libraries into the ’always on’ lives of today’s users.

OCLC President and CEO, Mr. Skip Prichard, will open the two-day event with an inspiring keynote that seeks to empower global libraries to meet the opportunities and challenges of the crossroads they face in the digital age. He will set the scene for open discussion on the sharing of resources, creation of interactive experiences, and use of mobile technology to create ’always connected’ centralized reading and learning spaces. Ahead of the meeting Prichard shared, “Libraries today are faced with evolving user needs and the increasing pressure to justify their impact in the communities within which they operate. OCLC advocates that libraries provide knowledge, facilitate connections, and offer neutral space, creating the perfect environment for breakthrough societal advances that accelerate positive change in communities. As such, libraries are not simply valuable to reliable information access in the digital age, but the vital central point from which information can be disseminated in new, efficient ways.”

As part of the digitization of libraries theme, OCLC will invite its panel of speakers to explore the changing demands of communities accessing information in today’s technologically advanced world. Librarians from around the region have also been invited to enter a competition whereby they submit a short “Lightning Talk Video” that outlines their work in helping libraries to retain their allure and relevance for their communities in the digital age, such as by creating interactive learning spaces that appeal to young people. OCLC will also review data collected from over a decade of research into the ways in which individuals obtain their information and engage with technology. The findings consider cultural background, discipline, educational stage, as well as context and situation and provide ideas on how to more fully integrate the library into the life of its users.

Hong Kong, one of the most digitally advanced communities in the region, has a smartphone penetration of over 84%, with 96% of users accessing the internet daily for information and entertainment. Hong Kong Public Libraries have responded quickly to the changing needs of its patrons in the era of mobilization by disseminating its collection into an impressive suite of “Library at your Fingertips” digital services. Although the rise of the e-library forms a central theme in the OCLC agenda, the organization will also highlight the merits of traditional, physical libraries in relation to their socio-economic benefits. Improved literacy through libraries can contribute to economic growth; reduce poverty; reduce crime; drive innovation; improve public health; enhance cultural diversity; and promote personal benefits such as stress-management.