Listen&Learn: The Future Library

Learn about the stories written for people 100 years from now.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• ongoing: continuing, not complete
• acclaimed: praised for an accomplishment
• manuscript: an unpublished text
• century: 100 years
• anthology: a collection of written works by different authors

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

The Future Library is an ongoing creative started by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. In 2014, Paterson began planting trees in Oslo, Norway. She planned to make this the site of a for people 100 years in the . Every year since, Paterson has asked a different acclaimed author to write a manuscript for the library. The manuscripts will be locked in glass boxes until 2114. The goal is to collect a century’s worth of and allow readers of the future to experience the changing times. Canadian author Margaret Atwood was the first person to provide a manuscript, and 6 other texts have since joined the Future Library. By the time that all 100 stories are complete, the trees in Oslo will have grown enough to become for an anthology.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The trees for the Future Library were planted in
   a. Scotland
   b. Norway
   c. Canada
   
2. Margaret Atwood was
   a. the first author to contribute
   b. the only author to contribute
   c. the most recent author to contribute
   
3. The purpose of the trees is to
   a. hide the location of the manuscripts
   b. decorate the outside of the library
   c. provide paper 100 years in the future

Discussion/essay questions

1. It is impossible to fully predict what will happen in 100 years. Do you think the project will achieve its goal? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Future Library is an ongoing creative project started by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. In 2014, Paterson began planting trees in Oslo, Norway. She planned to make this the site of a library for people 100 years in the future. Every year since, Paterson has asked a different acclaimed author to write a manuscript for the library. The manuscripts will be locked in glass boxes until 2114. The goal is to collect a century’s worth of stories and allow readers of the future to experience the changing times. Canadian author Margaret Atwood was the first person to provide a manuscript, and 6 other texts have since joined the Future Library. By the time that all 100 stories are complete, the trees in Oslo will have grown enough to become paper for an anthology.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2a 3c