The Des Moine Register:  Since most people have fond memories of their times growing up in libraries, most libraries have the luxury of time to reinvent themselves.  Here are 10 key trends affecting development of the next-generation library:

1. Communication systems are continually changing the way people access information.

Books are a technology, and writing is also a technology, and they will be replaced.

2. All technology ends.

Every device and piece of technology we use today will go away and be replaced by something else that’s faster, smarter, cheaper, more capable, more durable, works better and looks cooler.

3. We haven’t yet reached the ultimate small particle for storage. But soon.

Once that happens, we will be able to set standards for information and for storage. This will provide opportunities for libraries to interact with it and build new and exciting "information experiences."

4. Search technology will become increasingly more complicated.

Next-generation search technology will include the ability to search for such attributes as taste, smell, texture, reflectivity, opacity, mass, density, tone, speed and volume. People will not have the time and skills necessary to keep up on each new innovation in the search world. Librarians will be needed to assist in finding this information.

5. Time compression is changing the lifestyle of library patrons.

The paradigm of "need" is changing, evolving, and most importantly, speeding up. One of the needs that will go away is the need to use keyboards.

6. Over time we will be transitioning to a verbal society.

How fast that will happen and the likelihood of wholesale transition may be debatable, but there undoubtedly will be a strong trend toward verbal information.

7. The demand for global information is growing exponentially.

Our ability to learn about and understand the cultures of the world is key to our ability to prepare ourselves for the global societies of the future.

8. The stage is being set for a new era of global systems. These include accounting standards for publicly traded companies, intellectual-property systems and currency. Libraries will play a key role in the development of global systems because they will be charged with archiving and disseminating the foundational pieces of information necessary for the new systems to take root.

9. We are transitioning from a product-based economy to an experience-based economy.

As books change in form from simple "words on a page" to various digital manifestations, future books will be reviewed and evaluated by the experience they create.

10. Libraries will transition from a center of information to a center of culture.

The library of the future could include aspects of cultural centers such as museums, theaters, parks and educational institutions.

Writing the definitive history of modern libraries is a work in progress. Our best advice is to enjoy the journey and relish in the wonderment of what tomorrow may bring.

THOMAS FREY, formerly an engineer at IBM, is the executive director and senior futurist at the DaVinci Institute. These trends were excerpted from a longer essay, "The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation," which can be read at www.davinciinstitute.com.