The implicit recognition of libraries as pivotal players in the public service information world, and the economic resources which libraries will now be able to bring to the table, could give them a substantial leg up in the emerging digital marketplace. But additional work needs to be done before a communications campaign for libraries can be unveiled. More focus groups will have to be conducted nationwide. The apparent skepticism about libraries' role as cutting-edge information providers signals to libraries that the public is lagging behind the profession's forward looking visions for its future. Clearly, one focus group can only hint at where the public is heading on this vital issue.
Libraries have their work cut out.
But unlike many other US public institutions, which today are greeted with considerable public skepticism, libraries start their campaign from a tremendous base of popular support. Witness the enthusiastic public reception to new public libraries in Phoenix, San Francisco and elsewhere. Libraries are being touted as a vital partner in attempts to revitalize central city cores. Indeed, libraries are ahead of many professions in moving toward a communications campaign and repositioning that takes into account the tumultuous effect of the digital age. Many other institutions in American society are just waking up to the fact of the digital revolution, and that fundamental changes may be required.