RLUK Digital Shift Forum |  What is a Library? - Charlotte Roueché, King’s College London
Channel: ResearchLibrariesUK
Date: 04/11/2021

RLUK’s Digital Shift Forum brings together colleagues from across the information, research, cultural and heritage communities, and third and commercial sectors, to discuss the future of the digital shift in collections, services, and audiences. 

The series aims to promote cross-sector discussion and debate, to enable knowledge exchange, and inspire collaborative endeavour across sectors and communities, for the benefit of RLUK members and the wider research and information management communities. More information can be found at https://www.rluk.ac.uk/dsf/

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? What is a Library? Charlotte Roueché, Professor Emeritus of Digital Hellenic Studies, King’s College London

The word ‘Library’ is rather like ‘School’: it a word which has been used over centuries to describe a variety of entities. The meaning is determined by who you are, and when you are using it – and the meaning before 2020 may well be different from the meaning in 2021.

What are the essential functions of a library? In the journey of knowledge, what is the difference between a library and a publisher? Charlotte explores these meanings with librarians, since it seems that the Library of the Future depends on the Librarian of the Future.