diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index ea14139..f005292 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
     <description>A continuation of the original Books Without Borders</description>
     <properties>
-        <java.version>1.8</java.version>
+        <java.version>16</java.version>
         <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
     </properties>