For immediate release:
July 21, 2010

For more information, contact:
Karla Strieb
Association of Research Libraries
karla@arl.org

Webcast on Scenario Planning for Research Libraries Now Available as Archive

Washington DC—The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has released an archive of the webcast, “Envisioning the Future of Research Libraries: ARL’s Scenario Development Project,” which was held on July 19, 2010.

During the webcast, ARL’s project consultant, Susan Stickley of Stratus Inc., provided background information on scenario planning approaches, and an update on the ARL project. This webcast introduced the concept of scenario planning and highlighted how it compares to and complements other prediction-oriented tools for planning, such as forecasting or trend analysis.

The webcast was intended to interest staff and administrators involved with research library planning, as well as others interested in the long-term future environment for research libraries. The presentation is appropriate for group viewing.

Background

Research libraries are constantly thinking about and planning for the future. ARL is working to support and advance these activities by developing a new toolset for libraries through its project, “Envisioning Research Library Futures: A Scenario Thinking Project.”

Through the project, ARL will be developing and releasing four contrasting scenarios that describe possible futures for research libraries in 2030. The scenarios will be released in the fall with a toolkit to support research libraries in integrating long-term scenario-based strategies into their planning practices.

To view the archived webcast, please visit http://youtu.be/XLS5l-ZQhVE

Further information

For more information on the project, as well as background materials on scenario planning, please visit: http://www.arl.org/rtl/plan/scenarios/index.shtml.

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The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.