Libraries

You know, those large buildings full of physical books. Are they still relevant in a digital world?

The most reading I've done was when I was in university, and even then I could count the number of times I visited the school library on one hand - and if I lost a couple of fingers in a freak accident, I'd still be able to account for the number of times I actually signed out a book. 99.9% of the literature I read was electronic, and downloaded from some online repository of academic knowledge.

I get the nostalgia factor, and the attachment to physical objects. My home is full of books, DVDs, vinyl (etc.), because I like to be able to hold tangible objects. However, their purpose is largely decorative - a display of my sense of taste. All of the information they contain is arguably more efficiently managed as data - especially in terms of occupying physical space, which could be put to better use. The same could be said for libraries. All of the space used to house these large and little-utilized collections of texts seems wasted in a digital age.

There's clearly a class-bias to this argument. I might not be hugely wealthy, but I do well enough to live to my standard of comfort, which includes internet access and devices to access it with. I'm aware that there are plenty of people in the world who don't share that privilege, and for them, libraries with their public lending system, might still hold a purpose. Yet, the same case could be made as above - instead of investing in large collections of physical books, wouldn't it be more effective to set up a few computers with free access to digitized versions of the same? I'm not suggesting that we stop reading, only that we change the way we do it in order to accommodate and adapt to new media technologies.

So, are libraries headed towards obsolescence? Should we rethink the whole library system in light of the age of the internet? Do we really need to pay for the upkeep of these physical structures, not to mention the purchasing of collections which are pretty much duplicated from one library to the next, or can we digitize and centralize these works? Whadyathink?

Well, I probably have a whopper of a bias here called a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree, though I moved from a public library to corporate IT around the time my son was born and he's now married so, yeah, been a while.

First off, there's still plenty of demand for paper books from what I hear, so the traditional library ain't done yet, probably not until my generation (Gen X) is gone. Most libraries now provide access to e-books through services like OverDrive and there's even movement towards sharing those electronic resources (I can access e-books for half a dozen Ontario libraries on My Libby, the OverDrive app, all using my card with my local library). In the long haul, yeah, I imagine you'll just have the Ontario Library Service (the coordinating and supporting body for public libraries here) providing electronic resources to the whole province.

The library's role as an information centre has changed dramatically, from actually answering questions and helping people navigate complex paper sources to mostly as a provider of online resources and knowledge of how to use them. That actually started when I was in library school but at that time, the resources were all commercial databases so the library was the only place most people outside of academia and major corporations could get access to them. Now, so much is readily available online, but the library still provides access, usually via an authenticated section of their website, to things like full-text magazine indices and magazine apps so that people can get access to material tht is otherwise locked up behind paywalls and subscriptions. Again, though, does this require a local library or could a broader entity like a provincial/state library service provide those?

The third role a lot of public libraries play right now is local community centres. They run, or host, various programs, act as "cooling centres" and "warming centres" during weather warnings, provide free or low-cost Internet access to the homeless or poor, and do still assist people in finding information, even if that is often teaching them how to better use the Internet rather than searching through paper resource and commercial databases. And the human touch is needed for all these roles.

So I see benefit to centralizing electronic libraries for sure. But I think the local library still has a role to play if the librarians are willing to step up and play it rather than hunkering down among their books. And I do see libraries around here walking that walk. When I was still working as a librarian, an alliance of libraries in the area where I worked led an effort to get a local Freenet started to provide free and at-cost Internet access to people who couldn't afford commercial services, as well as developing plans for electronic resource sharing. And that was in the late 90s (I switched jobs in '99).

As I said, I have a clear bias here though I left the library world over twenty years ago, but I do see libraries that are making a serious effort to define a role for themselves in the 21st century. Whether they succeed depends a lot on public support, since the funding mostly comes from political entities who tend to listen to votes and polls, not librarians.

Quote by MsStep

🤣but sadly true for some parents. I was reading WWII-set comics and playing "guns" as a kid so knew quite well that war = violence but you have to wonder when you hear about some of the concerns parents raise about books these days.

Quote by Seeker4

...As I said, I have a clear bias here though I left the library world over twenty years ago, but I do see libraries that are making a serious effort to define a role for themselves in the 21st century. Whether they succeed depends a lot on public support, since the funding mostly comes from political entities who tend to listen to votes and polls, not librarians.

I figured I'd be picking a fight with someone with this post. Well, maybe not a fight, exactly - we're Canadians who don't play hockey... Anyway, I agree and see a need for more community centers, and I know many libraries are shifting focus to providing space and activity for that, but it doesn't really depend on the physical presence of a bunch of old books (i.e. the traditional library). It might be a better idea to create those community spaces more deliberately, with a broader focus than just literacy and reading, rather than attempt to Trojan-horse them into a community under the guise of a library. Again, I have to wonder if we're holding on to these institutions more out of a loyalty to what they represent rather than what they actually provide.

I did come up with what I thought was a pretty good counterpoint, though: When Armageddon comes and we wipe out all the modern infrastructure in large-scale war and destruction, the printed word will still function without the internet or even electricity. Probably want to have a good collection of books around for that eventuality to preserve the more useful knowledge accumulated throughout human history... Not a bad premise for a sci-fi series, I think.

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know
Not a bad premise for a sci-fi series, I think.

I swear it has been done but couldn't tell you by who or what it is called.

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Perhaps A Canticle for Leibowitz.

That's got elements of it for sure. And was a favourite of mine back in the day. Good thought. Probably what I was thinking of.

I've seen that movie. Gary Oldman wanted the last King James bible, couldn't read himself, but he wanted that all powerful book to lend credence to his infallability.

A blind Denzel Washington kicked ass like a ninja and changed attitudes and had memorized the entire bible he was suspected of also carrying.

Cannibals get shaky hands when they eat too much human flesh - that's one take away I grabbed from the flick. Oh, there was a huge printing press located at Alcatraz Island where the religious order was attempting to replicate books and the bible to assist with all those who knew how to read, after the world had fried to a crisp and all hope smashed.

Quote by WellMadeMale

I've seen that movie. Gary Oldman wanted the last King James bible, couldn't read himself, but he wanted that all powerful book to lend credence to his infallability.

A blind Denzel Washington kicked ass like a ninja and changed attitudes and had memorized the entire bible he was suspected of also carrying.

Cannibals get shaky hands when they eat too much human flesh - that's one take away I grabbed from the flick. Oh, there was a huge printing press located at Alcatraz Island where the religious order was attempting to replicate books and the bible to assist with all those who knew how to read, after the world had fried to a crisp and all hope smashed.

The book of something or other, right? Haven't seen it. So Canticle remains the most likely contender.

Libraries are like condoms.

There for the ones who need them and there for the casual user.

I say we keep them.

Libraries = Socialism.

Let's bulldoze 'em into the nearest ditch and set them aflame.

I hope they stick around, they provide access to so much more than media for those who otherwise couldn't afford it. You can check out wi-fi hotspots and laptops. Not to mention the free adult literacy and computer literacy classes some libraries offer. Some also offer resume services for those seeking jobs, or offer help in applying for benefits. You can access 3-D printers, or even film and sewing equipment at some libraries. The list go on. Not only do libraries provide vital access to knowledge and media, but services that could transform someone's life by improving their quality of life through access. So it makes sense why there are those who aim to suppress such access.

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know
Yet, the same case could be made as above - instead of investing in large collections of physical books, wouldn't it be more effective to set up a few computers with free access to digitized versions of the same?

Folks who can't afford an internet connection would only be able to read those books in a central place, time sharing those computers. That surely would make books less accessible. Well, the time sharing applies to physical books too of course, but at least you can read it wherever you want.

Quote by noll

Folks who can't afford an internet connection would only be able to read those books in a central place, time sharing those computers. That surely would make books less accessible. Well, the time sharing applies to physical books too of course, but at least you can read it wherever you want.

There are those who benefit from limiting access to knowledge, and therein lies the rub as it pertains to libraries.

Quote by Dani

There are those who benefit from limiting access to knowledge, and therein lies the rub as it pertains to libraries.

That might be a thread on it's own.

When the planetary EMP hits, I'll still have my books, and so will the libraries, if we keep them and nurture them.