FROM THE PRESIDENT
NĀ TE TUMUAKI
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Life in the year 2020 was almost unimaginable when I was growing up. I remember as a kid working out how old I would be in the year 2000 (34), wondering what would I be doing with my life? Would I have children? Where would I be living? But I never thought beyond the year 2000 – it just seemed too impossibly far away. And now here we are in that future.
Futurists predicted many amazing things for this decade. In 1999, Raymond Kurzweil (The Age of Spiritual Machines) predicted ‘Computerized health monitors built into watches, jewellery, and clothing which diagnose both acute and chronic health conditions are widely used.’ So, he foresaw the Fitbit pretty accurately but his prediction for the future of books and manuscripts wasn’t quite so good.
‘Papers books and documents are rarely used or accessed. Most 20th-century paper documents of interest have been scanned and are available through the wireless network.’
As we know, print books are still in demand and, while more and more books are being digitised, there is still a way to go before we can claim that most 20th century documents of interest have been digitised. New Zealand’s 322 public libraries are the most heavily used and trusted facility in New Zealand’s cultural and recreational sector with over 32,899, 392 visits per year.* It would be a brave futurist that would predict the demise of the physical book in the next twenty years. Yes, things are changing and we are accessing information in a wider range of ways but I think physical books will continue to hold tremendous value for many people for many years to come.
2020 also marks 110 years since LIANZA was established. A Papers Past search reveals a report in the Auckland Star from April 1910 which outlines the topics at the first New Zealand library conference, held that year;
‘Library subsidies. travelling libraries, juvenile libraries, literary societies, finance, museums, lecture halls, the Parliamentary Library, the issue of books other than fiction, and the formation of a Library Association, which latter was carried into effect, …. expressing the opinion that the conference was well justified, and that the results will be highly beneficial.’**
Many of the topics are still relevant 110 years later – mobile libraries, finances, and children’s libraries for example – and I certainly believe that LIANZA conferences today are ‘well justified’ and ‘highly beneficial.’ It is fascinating to get a glimpse into the past of New Zealand’s library sector, a past in which ‘a book stolen from the Reference Library in early December and returned by post from Wellington on March 17’ warrants a report in the Auckland Star.
There is a responsibility that comes with belonging to an organisation with a long history. I feel a sense of wairua, a connection to that past and wanting to honour the people that had the foresight to set up a library association to advocate for the importance of libraries in Aotearoa New Zealand. I think that those who were part of establishing the association in 1910 would be proud to see the LIANZA of today, the way the partnership with Te Rōpū Whakahau has developed and the way we have evolved to stay relevant – providing professional development, advocacy and connection for librarians and information professionals throughout the country.
There are still significant issues to address to ensure our long-term sustainability, we need to grow our membership and work closely with other member organisations in our sector to make sure we amplify and enhance each other’s work rather
than compete. I encourage you to read the opinion piece by Sue Sutherland (LIANZA President, 199192) where she looks back at some of the pivotal moments in the LIANZA’S history and sets out some of the challenges we face for the future. She identifies the work we are doing on the governance structure as a key opportunity to help us address these challenges.
It is my strong belief that this work we are doing today will ensure a LIANZA for members in the future for many years to come.
*http://www.publiclibraries.org.nz/ Librariestoday/publiclibrarystatistics.aspx
**Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 95, 22 April 1910 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.
nz/newspapers/as19100422.2.68?end_
date=31-12-1910&items_per_