For the past two years, life has largely taken place online. As a result, the question about the value and future of a physical reference library with a focus on dance and theater is growing. We ask alumni to reflect on one of the two themes below in the form of an essay.

Function and accessibility
In the past 50 years the library of the Academy for Theatre and Dance is used extensively by a variety of students. Some students focus on specific plays and others are finding inspiration by browsing through the shelves. Due to the digital developments like Open Access articles, books and other sources we question if a physical library is still of this time? Does it has a future? How would the ideal library for dance- and theatremakers look in the future? What does sharing and transferring knowledge mean in a few decades and through which media will this be done? Will books be books?

Collection and content
The collection of the library of the Academy for Theatre and Dance finds its starting point in several Western oriented collections. The curriculum of the different studies and interests of students has been the dominant acquisition policy of the library. Due to the growing diversity within the school, the collection has grown with this development. Developments like the Black Lives Matter movement and Need for Legacy show that it is important to collect in an inclusive way. We ask the essayists to reflect on their ideal collection of sources. How can the theatre- and dance library contribute to offer an inclusive collection? And how do we continue to develop ourselves in order to consciously look at our broad history and future?