Never waste a good crisis

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19 is no different. It presents us with opportunities to accelerate some changes we may already have in play, to either challenge some long-held assumptions or to think more creatively about new ways of working. Design/methodology/approach: Crises almost always bring to light not only threats but also opportunities, including a chance to reflect and learn. The author of this study is never the one to waste the opportunity that externally driven change creates to learn from what she has been witnessing and to accelerate change that she was already planning, to stop some things and start others which more effectively align with the vision of the organisation. Findings: This paper charts a course through some of the author’s thinking and actions in the digital information world over the last 30 years. Partly it is a story of “the more things change the more they stay the same” and partly a story of “overnight change which has been decades in the making”. It ends with the author’s thoughts on two opportunities that she believes we cannot afford to ignore. Originality/value: This paper charts a course through some of the author’s thinking and actions in the digital information world over the last 30 years. Its premise is that COVID-19 creates a fertile ground for library and information professionals to grasp the opportunities before them to realise aspirations which have been long held.