The Internet Has Made Libraries Obsolete

athenian200 said:
That's all fine and good until something goes wrong with the Internet. If the Internet goes down or something goes wrong with the cell towers? What if a terrorist uses an EMP or blows up a few cell towers? What if a hacker breaks into a huge archival website and erases a ton of information from existence, perhaps even destroying their backups through some kind of obscure software exploit?
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If this fox news scenario really did happen then i think we would have bigger things to worry about than reading a book...
 
Skripka said:
A place where the 99.9995% of research materials and books and historical records that are out of print, and never digitized, are stored for perusal.

Seriously I'm only aware of ONE major national library that has made serious digital archiving inroads getting their collections PDF'd or otherwise scanned to be easily searched and browsed in its entirety. And that is the BnF, aka the French National Library.


Anyone claiming "libraries are obsolete" doesn't read much beyond the Twilight series...and has ZERO bibliographic knowledge.
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So you are not keeping up with the biggest library in the world then, the US Library of Congress?
 
Above all I'm worried about the archival potential of the internet. What percentage of the internet as it exists right now will still be around in 5-10 years? Already, as you browse the internet, it's common to come across old links that don't work anymore.

Fact is, almost none of the current internet will still be around in 20 years, nevermind 100 years or 1000 years. Books don't expire, they just sit there. No one has to maintain a server in order to maintain a book. I'm not saying books are better than the internet, but they do archive data over long periods of time better. I just feel that we need to work harder on maintaining some kind of internet archive. Not one designed simply for the convenience of current users who are looking for 5-10 year old content, but something that preserves as much of the internet as possible for historians centuries from now. As it is currently, we are entering into a time that will likely be known to historians as some sort of black hole of history :(
 
GotNoRice said:
Above all I'm worried about the archival potential of the internet. What percentage of the internet as it exists right now will still be around in 5-10 years? Already, as you browse the internet, it's common to come across old links that don't work anymore.

Fact is, almost none of the current internet will still be around in 20 years, nevermind 100 years or 1000 years. :(
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In 1,000 years, if we still exist, our languages will have long since been replaced with more efficient modern languages. In 10,000 years, almost nothing of current society will exist. In 100,000 years, the intelligent life on the planet will not even know of our society and will have invented their own technology and claim to be the first intelligent race, because they will be the winners writing their own history. (Sound familiar to the way things are today?)
 
BBA said:
In 1,000 years, if we still exist, our languages will have long since been replaced with more efficient modern languages
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I'm not worried about the continuation of our language or society, I'm worried about the continuation of Recorded History, which actually goes back pretty far.
 
In the 90's when I actually took the time to read books on a regular basis, I frequented libraries a lot. These days, I sadly no longer read for pleasure (unless you count forum posts and hardware reviews :p ) I read so much at work (technical manuals, procedures, policies, protocols. reports, etc.), that reading is the last thing I want to do with my free time, if I even had that much free time.

I have never once in my life done research in a library. Not even in college.

If you have the time and the inclination to read, I still think libraries are great. I went back to a library for the first time since the mid 90's in late 2015, and have been going on occasion. My 8 year old stepson has reading homework, and has to read for at least 20 minutes a day, so we go through lots of books. The library has been a godsend in this regard. Funnily enough, he has really taken to "choose your own adventure" books. I thought those things died off in the early 90's? :p

It was funny though. When I was last using libraries, I would primarily use Unix terminals to search for books, and when that didn't work, fall back on the card index. Now the searching is all web based, and the card indices are nowhere to be found :p I had to relearn everything :p

So, for an 8 year olds reading homework, the library is great. They also have other services which I think shouldn't be underestimated. Providing internet access for those who can't afford it at home is huge, especially for the unemployed using the internet to try to land jobs.

Libraries are certainly past their heyday, but I still think it would be a loss if they were to disappear.
 
BBA said:
So you are not keeping up with the biggest library in the world then, the US Library of Congress?
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I have...but any of their collection I have an interest in, is warehoused and not scanned or thoroughly databased. LOC has a shit-ton of material. They may have started digital efforts....but they are only just beginning, considering the massive size of their collection.
 
libraries, as archives of literature & reference material both general & obscure, are literal necessities. the internet is a luxury (inb4 its 2016 - fuck off, its a luxury). meanwhile, the information floating around the web is, by & large, not organized by any stretch of the imagination...& an overwhelming amount of it is false or misleading.

"we should not be sentimental about libraries (decline)" sounds like an assertion from a retarded out of touch millennial...& im a millennial. its odd tho cos the author looks to be middle-aged. maybe hes just a bit desperate to frame his argument in a modernized way - libraries need to evolve, that much is true
 
In this day and age, it's quite true that your standard public library (or even school library) isn't quite as all-important as it once was. After all, anyone can look up things with the multitude of search engines.

At the same time, though, a lot of folks who haven't been to one in a while, don't realize what you can check out these days. Some public libraries even offer internet mobile hotspots that you can check out for a week or so. Not too shabby if you want free, reasonably fast internet... That, plus they'll have a lot of movies on DVD / Blu Ray that are pretty darned difficult to find these days.

There are also some things you simply can't replace. Many scientific journals don't offer digital copies of their publications without a subscription, and a lot of times, I find myself having to make a trip to the University Library in order to browse the actual hard copies of some journals from the 70's and 80's. Some of the papers of Richard Ernst (one of my scientific heroes) can only be found in those hard copies, and it's a crying shame that they haven't been digitally archived yet.
 
kumquat said:
Go spend a little time at your local library, and you'll realize how wrong you are. The library is full of free periodical and newspaper access, classes, tutoring, free personal help, free internet access, free music and movies, community events, tax help, voter registration, job searching help, resume preparation, language labs, art exhibits, notary services, fax services, you name it. Access to tons of free material and resources that you cannot get online for free, and access to a great deal of personal and local services that cannot be performed online.
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It's about time someone mentions the other half of what libraries do, which was completely neglected in the article - provide services. Libraries aren't just collections of things. They never were, and they really aren't anymore.

GotNoRice said:
Fact is, almost none of the current internet will still be around in 20 years, nevermind 100 years or 1000 years. Books don't expire, they just sit there. No one has to maintain a server in order to maintain a book.
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Erm, we have to maintain physical facilities in order to preserve books. They die & decline all the time. Water, fire, neglect, etc., all cause books to "fail" prematurely. One of the reasons libraries have taken to collecting electronic materials instead of physical, in many cases, is due to to lower cost of ownership. Comparing web pages to printed books is a very strange comparison, and definitely doesn't work if it comes to talk of preservation of information. Web pages as artifacts, maybe, but not the information in them. But, that's a whole different conversation.
 
They should keep libraries around just so that the public has a free place to come and use the Internet.
 
Eiolon said:
I've been working in a library since 1998. This is a problem we face all the time, especially as content becomes digital. But we work hard to evolve with how we supply content and experiences. Our library is not a traditional library. Yes, we have books, we have movies and computers to use. We also have digital content subscriptions, you can check out Roku's pre-loaded with hundreds of movies, check out the latest video games, even the consoles themselves; we have a movie studio so people can make movie productions, 3D printing lab, we are getting a few Oculus Rift's and are working with augmented reality. We hold events like our own version of Comic-con, Star Wars day, Harry Potter day, etc.

Libraries won't die. They will evolve, as long as the directors behind them are willing to move with the times. If you get those old school librarians in place that don't want to move to a Kindle from a book then they are in trouble.
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May I ask how is this funded? Sound like an amazing place and I am just wondering if such a thing could be at least self sufficient if not crazy profitable.
 
I'd say what is obsolete is the current understanding of what a book and Library is.

If books being a medium for disseminating information in the short-term, then yes. For long term, hell no. Books are much simpler in concept (and longer lasting) than anything digital (which may not even be recognised as an information storage device, let alone understanding HOW we stored the data or the algorithm we used, let ALONE the eventual degradation of data integrity).

If by library they mean a building which houses books for other people to look up information? Possibly, since books are not as good for information dissemination in the short-term. As an information source? If libraries adapt to the evolving digital world (EG by digitalising books), I don't think they'll become obsolete, at least not in the short-term.
 
dgz said:
May I ask how is this funded? Sound like an amazing place and I am just wondering if such a thing could be at least self sufficient if not crazy profitable.
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Seriously? Public libraries are not for-profit entities. They serve the public, and are funded by LSTA grants and local levies, by and large. The details differ by state and locality, but only in the specifics. They're all self sufficient and non profit.

Other types of libraries, of course, differ in purpose, funding, and profitability.
 
NLW said:
It's about time someone mentions the other half of what libraries do, which was completely neglected in the article - provide services. Libraries aren't just collections of things. They never were, and they really aren't anymore.



Erm, we have to maintain physical facilities in order to preserve books. They die & decline all the time. Water, fire, neglect, etc., all cause books to "fail" prematurely. One of the reasons libraries have taken to collecting electronic materials instead of physical, in many cases, is due to to lower cost of ownership. Comparing web pages to printed books is a very strange comparison, and definitely doesn't work if it comes to talk of preservation of information. Web pages as artifacts, maybe, but not the information in them. But, that's a whole different conversation.
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I'm privileged to live in a county that has a kick ass library system. Lots of books. Also a decent amount of video games, graphic novels, films, newspapers, magazines, music, books on tape/cd, online e book collection, online accounts to research databases, friendly staff who can help you find something. Not to mention the free museum passes, library events, senior services, job hunting services, outreach services for people who are housebound. Its a place for people to meet, study together, tutor and a safe public place for people to get away to for awhile.

I try to hit up the library at least once a week. I may be a large child when I take out comic books, video games and movies but I'm getting my monies worth. Long live the library!
 
jkmetal said:
I'm privileged to live in a county that has a kick ass library system. Lots of books. Also a decent amount of video games, graphic novels, films, newspapers, magazines, music, books on tape/cd, online e book collection, online accounts to research databases, friendly staff who can help you find something. Not to mention the free museum passes, library events, senior services, job hunting services, outreach services for people who are housebound. Its a place for people to meet, study together, tutor and a safe public place for people to get away to for awhile.

I try to hit up the library at least once a week. I may be a large child when I take out comic books, video games and movies but I'm getting my monies worth. Long live the library!
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If I had to wager a guess...you live in OH?
 
nightfly said:
And yet, possibly the greatest loss in the history of mankind was the destruction of the archives in the library in Alexandria, around 2000 years ago.
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Quite right, I was helping my daughter with her history homework and was telling her the absolute tragedy to humanity that the destruction of that library was. Can you imagine what we would know today that we will never know?
 
cyclone3d said:
It will never be "free". Everything costs somebody something.

If it is "free" to everybody... all that means is that the government has raised taxes and is providing super sub-par service and wasting the rest of the money on extravagant houses, vacations, cars, planes, etc. for those in office.
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I only said once access becomes free, not the infrastructure.
 
works at a library. Reads article... haz a sad :(
(actually, at an academic library, which is a different breed of animal, but have worked in publics as well)

The article is specifically about libraries in the UK. I don't really understand their funding model. But public libraries in the US are locally funded, and so generally do OK (or not) depending on local economic variables.

I don't see public libraries in the US going away any time soon, not en masse, at least. They are pretty well integrated in many communities, and local govts would receive a lot of push back if closures were attempted.

I do agree with one point in the article. Public libraries should be most heavily focused on meeting the needs of and providing services for children. That's where their biggest positive impact on the community can be had.
 
I'd love to see what book sales have been in the past 15 years. We know music sales are way down but how has all this free information affected book sales?
 
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