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The paper aims to give a synopsis of proceedings at the Internet Librarian International Conference held at the Olympia Conference Centre, London from 15 to 16 October 2013 from a participant's viewpoint.

The narrative method of describing events as they occurred was used.

The conference provided participants with a wide array of information that spanned the three tracks the sub-themes of the conference were divided into. Participants had opportunities to network and find out more about the products the sponsors showcased as well.

The report tells what transpired at the conference and exposes new technologies, new resources and innovative ways of using the technologies available to librarians and other information professionals.

This editorial considers the question “do libraries matter?” from a variety of perspectives and angles.

Four recent documents are examined – Chad and Miller's, 2005 white paper, “Do libraries matter? The rise of Library 2.0.” from Talis; the Bibliographic Services Task Force (BSTF) final report (December 2005) from the University of California, Rethinking How We Provide Bibliographic Services for the University of California; OCLC's 2005, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources; and the Horizon Report, 2006, a collaboration between The New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, an EDUCAUSE program.

Several themes surface again and again in the documents examined. These include: the increasing impact of emerging technologies on our users and on our libraries; changing attitudes toward technology and communication; and changing interests, behaviors, habits and expectations of our modern users. The article concludes that while libraries and information professionals are relevant in today's society, the challenge to remain as relevant as other information providers is indeed formidable, and remaining relevant demands change.

Informs and stimulates discussion about the information landscape and our place and position in it.

Reinforces the widely‐held belief that libraries matter, and that libraries, as well as information professionals remain relevant in today's world. Challenges the reader to think about significant issues and trends impacting libraries today.

To share with a wider audience key papers from the Talis Insight conference held in November 2004.

The article highlights four key presentations, and gives an executive summary showing key themes from the whole event.

The paper highlights libraries' work with text messaging, web applications to highlight resource collections, libraries' integration with councils to provide better access to library and council services, and improved stock disposal through selling books online through Amazon.

Offers librarians and information managers the opportunity to see what innovations in service other libraries are achieving through use of new technology or new ways of working.

This is a case study on the opportunities provided by Open Source library systems and the experience of delivering these systems through a shared service.

This chapter derives from desk research, interviews, and direct involvement in the project. The format is a case study, setting out a detailed timeline of events with information that can be applied in other settings.

This chapter presents reflections on the value and limitations of collaboration amongst libraries and librarians on an innovative approach to library systems and technologies. It also presents reflections on lessons learned from the processes and detailed discussion of the success factors for shared services and the reasons why such initiatives may not result in the outcomes predicted at the start.

Libraries and IT services considering Open Source and shared service approaches to provision will find material in this study useful when planning their projects.

The nature of collaboration and collaborative working is studied and observations made about the way that outcomes cannot always be predicted or controlled. In a genuine collaboration, the outcome is determined by the interactions between the partners and is unique to the specifics of that collaboration.

The case study derives from interviews, written material and direct observation not generally in the public domain, providing a strong insider’s view of the activity.

This paper aims to describe the initiative to establish a National Union Catalogue for UK Public Libraries.

The paper reviews the development of a web based national union catalogue accessible to the UK citizen.

It is found that the launch of a National Library Catalogue in the UK is timely and will be of benefit to libraries and the UK population alike.

The paper shares experiences of the UK market with the wider community.

The Libraries are in an era where changes come with high speed and much intense issues, and this seems to be as a result of the 4th industrial revolution. These emerging issues come in the form of changes that are not supposed to be overlooked by the library managers. These are changes libraries and Librarians have to be knowledgeable about. This chapter will address the impact, issues, challenges and controversies, prospects and how libraries should adapt, embrace and redesign their services, spaces and roles to accommodate this change on the Libraries. Existing research in the 4th Industrial revolution tends to focus on the challenges without much prospects and little or no evidence that researchers have approached how the libraries should accommodate and harness this revolutionary changes for improved library services provision. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide how the 4th industrial revolution affects the library and how libraries can harness the industrial revolution for enhanced services provision.

This paper looks at conditions of service delivery and technologies that are being deployed in libraries, archives and museums in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

Literature search from the internet, blogs and wikis over a period of three months were carried out to garner facts. Libraries, archives and museums that had resumed service delivery from different parts of the world were featured.

More digital tools were found to be needed than before the pandemic. These digital tools provide services that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, from any device. Libraries would have to adjust to the changing nature of education, settling for more use of artificial intelligence, audiovisual immersive technologies, and enabling digital and media literacy. Cloud-based technologies, security, analytics and automation have to thrive in the new normal.

Library, archives and museum workers will find information on identifying new ways of doing their work differently in the post-pandemic era. Re-skilling for them, especially, will have to be a priority.