by Ryan Huffman
Oftentimes at the end of the year, I’m asked to write an Adams County Library System “technology wishlist” for the coming year, which generally means narrating a portion of my 2026 list of projects and maybe a few “if only…” items so readers know the library still dreams big. However, given more flexibility and nearing the end of a multi-year technology replacement plan precipitated by the upgrade to Windows 11, I’m going to be a little more abstract this year.
Not that the library doesn’t have plenty of projects coming up next year aimed at continuing to improve the technology and internet access we provide to the community! Part of the replacement plan was to map out the future and make sure devices aren’t being forgotten and kept well past their intended lifespans. It also aimed to make sure those keeping a closer eye on the financial side of things weren’t hit with another budget bombshell. At times, it’s all too easy to look off into the future and dream of what could be while neglecting what already is. We cannot let the services our community depends on fall by the wayside because we spent all our time dreaming of bigger things. Conversely, there needs to be an eye towards progress. It’s a balance…everything’s a balance.
With that being said, my 2026 “wishlist” is relatively short:
Curiosity & Education: technology seems to undulate between stages of being a helpful hand to those who wield it and the impending ruin of humanity as we know it. Depending on where you stand, the latter may sound facetious, but in some minds, we’re closer to that than the former with the wave of AI. The implications of large-scale deployments aimed at efficiency but forsaking longevity are indeed alarming. But as I tried to convey in a brief presentation to my coworkers earlier this month, I am not here to sell AI. I don’t interact tangibly with Generative AI very often, but I do think it’s important to be informed, and that takes curiosity.
I know some people take a hard anti-AI stance, and I respect that, but I encourage it to come from a place of learning rather than an all-or-nothing reactionary response to sensationalists predicting the downfall of mankind. (That’s a phrase I didn’t think I would be including in an article so close to the end of the year!) I don’t know where this path will lead, but I do think we have the power to shape the future by providing an example of where we want to go. The leadership to teach others, shape the future, and grow together comes with knowledge.
Gratitude: I know this sounds cliché, but I promise I’m not a second-class guardian angel, trying to get you to see the true meaning of the holidays so I can earn my wings. While I’ve always had a comfortable working relationship with my coworkers, this year has fostered an increase in collaborative projects aimed at enhancing library services. I worked closely with Annette in our Technical Services department to help transition to the new and improved online library catalog. I worked with Victoria in the public services department and all of our branch managers and circulation desk staff to better understand and improve the services we offer to patrons. As someone who does not interact with patrons as often, it would be difficult to understand the needs of the community I’m trying to serve without the support from library employees across the county. I even got to work with another local non-profit organization, the Center for Youth & Community Development to bring laptops to our libraries to promote fantastic resources such as SkillUp PA through PA CareerLink.
I mention these projects not to elicit gratitude from readers for the things the library system has added or improved this year, but to express my gratitude to all the people who helped make these things happen and in the hopes that others will remember to look back and feel gratitude to those who helped them achieve the things they did in 2025. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my coworkers, and the library wouldn’t be able to do it without the incredible support from the community. And hey, maybe if we’re lucky, I’ll earn some wings after all.
Ryan Huffman is Computer Systems Director for the Adams County Library System.