Rebirth in the examination of past roles and triumphs in determining what might be

Purpose: Repository Libraries need to pause and re-consider their role and future purpose in the light of the Digital Disruption of the whole library and publishing industries. This paper seeks to expose some of the issues in this re-examination. Design/methodology/approach: The Kuopio Conference is a seminal conference series exploring the trials, successes and futures of repository libraries globally. The paper seeks to draw out the tensions in libraries and in publishing asking the questions of why and how. Findings: Scenario planning assists in enabling us to think about issues which are disruptive rather than assuming that the future will be steady and assured. This paper is a call to the community to re-think what is being planned and executed. Originality/value: This re-examination is different in the nature of the papers detailing what has been achieved.