People live in the midst of high-risk complex systems like global warming, a global economy, and global conflicts among civilizations and religions. The pace of change is faster than it has ever been. To succeed in this world children need 21st-century skills. Reading is most certainly one of these. But today reading keeps new company as it sits alongside digital tools that are transforming learning, innovation, and the production of knowledge. Furthermore, today a new "school system" exists outside of school in homes and in popular culture, a system where a new paradigm of 24-7 digitally fueled learning exists in direct competition with schools. For many young people this paradigm is the source of the sorts of 21st-century skills that are not even on offer in many public schools. In this article the author argues that school libraries of the future will need to supply young people, especially those from less affluent homes, with digital tools, not as standalone entities by themselves, but as part and parcel of rich social activities and mentorship.