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| Jeffrey Koterba Retrieved May 19, 2012 |
“I predict that print books will disappear in my lifetime. Once that happens, why would anyone need a library?” 30-year-old rental car agent
I met him on my way to a library conference. I needed a rental car; when I told him where I was going, he immediately attempted to engage in a debate about the future of libraries. His real question was, “if libraries exist only to provide print copies of books, and print books disappear, will we need libraries any more?”
Will print books disappear? I don’t think so. Print books as we know them today were a marvelous improvement over the old writing technologies of clay tablets, scrolls, and folios. The version we use today is incredibly versatile. As Patt Morrison’s eloquently explained in a recent Los Angeles Times essay, “paper and parchment are still around, still legible, still "working" multiple centuries later. You don't need to wait for the page to load. All the technology it needs to work is the human eye. No password, no batteries required. A book doesn't stop working when it's dropped. You can read it on the tarmac even after the command to turn off all electronics. It isn't ruined when it gets wet (the salvage operation after the 1986 Central Library fire proved that, and how many books have I dropped in the bath water and dried them out?). The only grave threat to a book is a flame, accidental or deliberate. Books are immensely, symbolically, mystically powerful; the fact that fearful humans ritually burn them, the way they once burned witches, attests to it. No book, someone said, has the power of a burned book.”
It’s true that Americans in growing numbers are succumbing to the lure of e-readers, and that market will grow as their prices decline. But print and electronic formats will probably exist side-by-side for decades. For instance, a survey of California registered voters conducted by the Los Angeles Times discovered that 90% of e-reader owners continue to read print books, and over 50% of e-reader owners stated that they mostly read traditional books--and some confessed to never using their electronic books at all!
But what if the print book does become extinct? Will libraries follow them into extinction? Not likely. Libraries and librarians have adapted to new technologies for centuries. The ease and scope of access to information via the Internet and the World Wide Web has already eliminated the librarian’s monopoly on information. Yet libraries are still with us.
Librarians were among the first to foresee and welcome these innovations. Visit your local library’s web site, and you will see an interactive portal to its resources. And whether virtual or brick-and-mortar spaces, libraries are public squares, inviting and safe, places where community happens among people of all ages.
As long as librarians and libraries take the initiative to embrace both old and new technologies, their patrons will turn to them for guidance to navigate the exciting but overwhelming sea of information available in the online world.
For a librarian’s take on Web 2.0 and the library, see Steven Bell - Future of Librarians Interview
For a non-librarian perspective on the future of libraries, see Future Libraries: Nerve Center of the Community
For the effect of e-books on the role of the library, listen to
References:
Anton, Mike. "USC DORNSIFE/TIMES POLL; E-reader owners still favor printed books." Los Angeles Times. (April 15, 2012 Sunday ): Part A; Pg. 1.
Borgman, Christine L. From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in the Networked World. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2000.
Caniono, William T. “Academic Library Design: A Commons or an Athenaeum?”
Library Philosophy and Practice (September 2010).
Frey, Thomas. “Future Libraries: Nerve Center of the Community.” (February 22, 2009). http://www.futuristspeaker.com/2009/02/future-libraries-nerve-center-of-the-community/
“Interview with Stephen Bell on the Future of Librarians.” College Online.
http://www.collegeonline.org/library/librarians-online/steven-bell.html
Morrison, Patt. "Reading, no batteries required." Los Angeles Times. (April 22, 2012 Sunday): Part A; Pg. 27.
Neary, Lynn. “The Future of the Library in the E-Book Age.” National Public Library--All Things Considered. (April 4,2011) http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135117829/the-future-of-libraries-in-the-e-book-age?sc=emaf
Librarians must be at the center of the e-book phenomenon in order to remain relevant in the digital age. Computers and Google did not eliminate the need for librarians; in fact, one might argue that libraries are more necessary because of the continuously changing technology. Librarians are expected to be the teachers and interpreters with each new technology invention. As long as librarians keep up with the trends and ensure that they are promoting and assisting with new services to the public, they will continue to be relevant. While the traditional view of librarians is as a keeper of the books, the 21st century has proven librarians to be valuable resources in a rapidly evolving technological world. The greatest attribute for a modern librarian is adaptability. The ability to be flexible with new technologies and to meet the demands of a curious public is essential in our modern environment. I laud your response that print books and librarians are indeed still useful, and in demand, in the age of e-books. - Ashley Adair
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