In a study in design of what could be of the future based on the events of today, I collaborated with a group to design a narrative surrounding what libraries may look like in the year 2074. With deep research into what our current libraries look like, we collaborated to write a fictional narrative of a utopian/dystopian world, and from there individually designed an artifact to fit the narrative we created.
RESEARCH
To start off our research, we began with choosing a section of libraries, programs, and from there we started mapping out problems that are seen within library programs. They were categorized into 5 groups: economic issues, technology/infrastructure, social/community, political/legal, and environmental. After doing field research at the Champaign public library, our group chose to highlight community interaction within library programs. Our research led us to sitting in on a library program made to help non English speakers become better at the language.
NARRATIVE
My narrative went the dystopian route where technology takes over the world. It’s integrated in every part of our lives in the year 2074. The narrator in my story is tired of technology and is part of a secret library club that rejects technology and meets in a secret part of the library completely void of any technology.
“The inside was remodeled over the years to fit the rest of the tech in our everyday lives. I begrudgingly walk past the robots that greet you as you walk in, these small boxes on wheels that are a little too good at communicating with us humans. Then it’s through the check in stalls that also go too far in terms of privacy.”
ARTIFACT
For my artifact that represents the dystopian narrative I wrote, I pushed further into this dystopian world and designed a series of propaganda like posters warning against technology. These were printed on the risograph as a way to reflect the anti technology theme of my story.
