We are living and working in an age of uncertainty and change. Global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, economic crises, the rise of disinformation and increasing inequality require a response that is optimistic, creative and collaborative.

Futures Literacy is an approach to confronting these challenges and finding and creating innovative solutions.

Libraries are at the forefront of this change, and new funding models, policies, and services are required for the sector to adapt to these changes, that are already impacting on the daily lives of library and information users in countless ways.

New technology, data and AI are creating new opportunities to connect and innovate at scale. At the same time, they present significant risks to our way of life.

In order to remain current and relevant, and to continue to meet the needs of our users now and for generations to come, libraries need to be able to think in a structured and evidenced-based way about the future.

According to the UNESCO Futures Literacy initiative, Futures Literacy is a capability. It is the skill that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. Being future literate empowers the imagination, enhances our ability to prepare, recover and invent as changes occur.

Futures Literacy allows library staff and leadership to approach complex and unpredictable situations holistically while taking into account biases and assumptions on things that we take for granted. It's a way of using the future to innovate in the present.

CILIP has partnered with Shared Intelligence to develop the Future Libraries project an initiative to promote futures literacy for libraries, funded by Arts Council England.

The project will provide a toolkit and resources to enable library staff and leaders to run their own futures literacy workshops as part of your scenario planning and advocacy.

Find out more about the Future Libraries Project

Watch the introductory video from the Future Libraries Toolkit by Ben Lee from Shared Intelligence