MEDIA RELEASE: 8 October 2014
A glimpse into the future of libraries
New Zealand librarians will get an insight into what is in store for libraries thanks to a visit from a highly rated
international futurist speaker.
Thomas Frey, Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute - a non-profit futurist think tank, is one
of eight keynote speakers at this year’s Library and Information Association of New Zealand (LIANZA) conference.
The Aurora Foundation Ltd, supporting leadership development of library and information management professions in
Australia and New Zealand, are bringing Frey to address over 650 attendees at the annual conference which runs from
Sunday 12 to Wednesday 15 October at SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland.
A powerful visionary who is revolutionizing the way we think about the future, Frey is continually pushing the envelope
of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come and libraries is a recurrent theme.
He says “libraries have a critical role to play in helping us as individuals both understand and manage the information
side of our lives. Future libraries will begin charting and mapping our personal data world and compare it to where we
hope to be, and more often where we need to be, in the future”.
At LIANZA Conference, delegates will be treated to a keynote address and workshop by Frey. Anahera Morehu, Conference
Convenor and Library Manager Māori and Pasifika Services at the University of Auckland, says the New Zealand library
sector is extremely lucky to have this opportunity to catch a glimpse into the future of the library and information
sector.
“Libraries are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our communities and Frey’s session ‘Internet of Things to the
Library of Things’ will give us the opportunity to start preparing ourselves for the changing roles libraries and
librarians as we enter a brave new era where hundreds, even thousands of new “things”, enter our lives”.
As an international keynote speaker, Frey’s talks on futurist topics have captivated audiences across the world
including high level government officials and executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, IBM, AT, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, Visa and Ford Motor Company.
Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Frey spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over
270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer. He is also a past member of the Triple Nine Society (High I.Q. society
over 99.9 percentile).
The four day library conference programme includes a range of high calibre local and international keynotes as well as
presentations and workshops by New Zealand librarians from all sectors.
ENDS