Libraries at the Center of After Capitalism?

I am not sure my library friends are asking for this, but I see a vital role for them in the longer-term future of After Capitalism.

Most of the ideas, concepts, pilots, experiments, and even fledgling movements of After Capitalism paint a picture of decentralized, direct democratic approaches to getting things done. There does seem to be a need for some magic pixie dust in how all this is going to be coordinated and work at scale. Sure, we can imagine a local focus, but that has to exist in a global context and is going to require extensive global connection. Accelerating technology will be at the core of enabling the connections, networks, coordination, and scaling. But institutionally, how might this be done?

Might I re-introduce to some of us (tongue firmly in cheek) libraries? I also thought about museums and dare I add credit unions … well, just libraries for now. We at Houston Foresight just did some work on the future of libraries. I was not foisting After Capitalism on them, but I couldn’t help but see the possibilities. I am predisposed to thinking about the future role of libraries in part due to science fiction, where libraries often play a central role, since, well organizing knowledge is kinda important in most sci fi scenarios of the distant future. It is today as well, we just haven’t caught on yet.

In the project we explored various ideas about libraries’ roles in the community. I’m assuming we all agree “just books” isn’t going to be enough to make them viable, so many have been evolving into community centers. Sensible. Alongside this evolution we have municipalities increasingly overwhelmed and unable to provide basic services. One obvious manifestation is that homeless people often end up using libraries as shelter, for obvious reasons of lack of alternatives and libraries are nice places. Other social services are also falling through the cracks. Citizens are often left without a clue of where to turn. Soooo, where might one go for information. You guessed it, libraries.

Why not? They are good at information retrieval and management. Why not help connect people to services. What else are libraries good at? Sharing things. Historically it has been books and information but in recent years the list of items has been expanding. In the project work, we played with the idea of a dramatic expansion of what a library might share. In today’s context, there are practical limits. But maybe not so in the After Capitalist world. The demand for sharing services is practically ubiquitous. The Circular Commons image, for example, has a sharing/commons approach at is very core. The post-work future of the Non-Workers Paradise doesn’t have jobs so resources will need to be distributed somehow. And we noted about the key role of technology in coordinating, which is highlighted in the Tech-Led Abundance image.

There will be more to say on this later. For now, color me excited. I’ve always had a soft spot for libraries. I remember the awe or reverence as a kid of walking into these often spectacular structures and feeling I was in an almost sacred place. Maybe this community hub role won’t be sacred, but I am in awe of its potential – Andy Hines