In the first edition of this book, the introduction stressed the importanceof ‘future thinking’, in the knowledge that a new library cantake five years or more from plan to building, meaning that, on the day itopens, a library already represents yesterday's thinking.

How true this has remained and yet how little did anyone realise insubsequent years what the future would bring, with ever-changing andincreasing technological advances, serious worldwide concern about thesustainability of buildings in an increasingly fragile ecologicalenvironment and the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic that took holdthrough 2020 and 2021.

Libraries across continents and sectors have redefined their services overthe first 20 years of this century and must continue to adapt to make theirbuildings fit for purpose for the collections they hold, physically anddigitally, and the range of services they provide to increasingly diversecommunities.

While a static building must be conceived to stand in the right place for itscommunity, the increase in digital services which can be accessed anywheremakes this less important to some extent, but the need for a physical spacehas never been more apparent than in the COVID-19 pandemic, as the digitallyimpoverished found themselves adversely affected, with no access to servicesof all kinds as these moved online, and with the closure of public spacesacross the board. Libraries found themselves caught up in this dilemma,whether as part of the public library network, in private institutions andbusinesses, in higher education or schools. Even when services startedcautiously to resume, the ability for users to visit in person was seriouslycompromised.