National libraries as centers of innovation

National libraries capture and preserve the memory of nations, all the while maintaining a position in the present and the future. Their missions include the preservation of the national memory and culture of a nation. They have an obligation to educate. They foster national development and publish the cultural heritage. National libraries serve as the recognized repository of a nation’s publications. They strive to preserve knowledge and experiences in conventional and digital formats. Many national libraries are museums. They provide a valuable public service function to their country and other researchers, tourists, and the curious of the world. While preserving the past, they must also be forward thinking and embrace innovation, for it is innovation that moves us forward. In addition to this historical/cultural/educational mandate, national libraries must be at the leading edge of change. They need to be fortune tellers to see the future; to envision where they will be in 10, 20, even 30 years hence. They understand that nothing endures but change, even if it is change to preserve the past. Their ideas and practices ultimately transcend borders. They serve as models for innovation and change. From the articles in this issue you will learn that innovation and flexibility are important survival criteria. Each library will define what innovation means in their environment. You will see first-hand that innovation is not the result of one person but, rather, a collaborative process where people from different parts of the organization participate in the creation and implementation of new ideas. Innovation doesn’t just happen. It comes from everyone and everywhere in the organization. There can be no constraints. Innovation cannot be forced, but it can be developed and nurtured (Stanleigh, 2011). The act of innovating is not just about designing a new product or procedure; it can and should also focus on existing business processes and practices to improve efficiency, cut down waste, to promote services in the digital age and much more. In this issue the stage is set with a mentally stimulating piece that introduces readers to the processes of collaborative innovation in organizations that moves us from inertia to innovation (Shaffer/USA). As we see in papers from Singapore (Lek Choh) and The Netherlands (Balk et al.), many of the steps in the innovation process introduced by Shaffer are put into practice. Creative minds are joined to solve national library and library consumer needs. We also feature two Middle Eastern libraries (Serageldin/Egypt) and Lux (Qatar) that highlight how the architecture of their buildings lends itself to innovation and discovery. Yet another innovative architectural concept is the creation of a Third Place in a national library (Berthiaume and Ryan/Québec). Digitization is also a predominant theme in several papers. Digitizing and archiving voice as part of oral history preservation (Bradley/Australia), preserving and conserving digital media and at-risk objects (Altenhöner et al./Germany), and the creation of digital libraries of mass scale housing ancient books (Yongchin/China). We close this 40th anniversary special issue with a look at a futuristic storage solution and facility for print newspapers that is tied to a modern digital/video room for news and media research (Stephens et al./UK).