3 ms·

Libraries: Where It All Went Wrong

37 points by necrodome 15y ago

meric 15y ago
I always thought the purpose of library was to provide a study space, where study materials are easily accessible, as well as plenty of equipment. In fact, that's the definition of my local library. Lots of tables, chairs and computers. Students go there to have group study sessions. People with no access to internet (tourists, elderly, the poor) go to library to use the internet. Now that house prices are growing (as it is here in Australia), living spaces per person will begin to decline, and people may begin to rely more on public spaces. (my thinking) After reading the article, one could argue this is what a traditional CEO would do with a library if it was a company - reduce the number of declining businesses, increase the number of growing businesses. Books & collections are no longer as needed - only keep the ones not easily accessible on the internet (e.g. historical local newspapers dating back a hundred years). Free up space for others to come and study. I guess that's not really the way to go, but since my local library was recently rebuilt in a brand new building, in the middle of a brand new public square, it has absolutely nothing to worry about[1]. [1] Neither do frogs placed into a pot of water, placed onto a stove a mere second ago.
chalst 15y ago
Providing research tools & a study place is one of the two functions of libraries. The other is archiving and referencing, and it is this that is the larger part of the librarian's professional skill. This function helps ensure that published knowledge survives in a usable form in the long term. The move of such knowledge to the information greatly increases the risk of destruction of such information. On the plus side, it is easier to censor libraries than the internet.
kevinalexbrown 15y ago
This is a fascinating read, but I'm not sure what the answer is to "why libraries now" as opposed to "how can we make sure libraries are still relevant?" I don't quite know the answer, and I admit to being queasy about letting them go. After all, libraries were such a democratizing power, even if their quality did rapidly fall off as one went from big city to small city to town. A great deal of attention was paid to making sure libraries aren't a footnote in history, but I think it's worth asking why we don't want that. (As an aside, I almost didn't follow the link because I assumed it was about undocumented Java libraries or some such thing)
- enobrev 15y ago
  It seems to me that the libraries of the world should be at the front lines of the public internet. A mix of Wikipedia, the EFF and Project Gutenberg. Ensuring human information is correct, well referenced, publicly accessible and protected in the interest of the public. Basically, what they've always been, but in digitized form. The libraries - as a tax-supported public servant - should be internet savvy enough to be top advisor to government on how to move forward in the best interest of the public in regards to the Internet and the media held therein. The largely one-sided tug-of-war that is copyright and the internet shows that the public needs a larger and louder representative when it comes to our media. "The library" should be front and center of these discussions making sure the decisions hold the public needs in high regard. With all these things in place, not only would libraries remain relevant, but they would thrive, remaining the important part in human history they've always been.
  - RyanMcGreal 15y ago
    > A mix of Wikipedia, the EFF and Project Gutenberg. Don't forget http://archive.org http://archive.org.
unwind 15y ago
Uh, isn't the core function of "ordinary" (as opposed to research, and university on-campus libraries) libraries to loan out books? So that people don't have to buy a book just to be able to read it? As long as literature isn't free, it seems libraries have a role to fulfill. But then again, I think even that usage of libraries is declining, perhaps because time previously spent reading books is now spent on other pleasures (surfing the Internet, for instance). I don't have data to back up this hunch, though.
kam 15y ago
Phillip Torrone of MAKE has a radical suggestion for libraries' "next big thing" -- provide resources for building things. http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/is-it-time-to-rebuild-retool-public-libraries-and-make-techshops.html http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/is-it-time-to-rebui...

37 points by necrodome 15y ago

meric 15y ago

I always thought the purpose of library was to provide a study space, where study materials are easily accessible, as well as plenty of equipment. In fact, that's the definition of my local library. Lots of tables, chairs and computers. Students go there to have group study sessions. People with no access to internet (tourists, elderly, the poor) go to library to use the internet. Now that house prices are growing (as it is here in Australia), living spaces per person will begin to decline, and people may begin to rely more on public spaces. (my thinking) After reading the article, one could argue this is what a traditional CEO would do with a library if it was a company - reduce the number of declining businesses, increase the number of growing businesses. Books & collections are no longer as needed - only keep the ones not easily accessible on the internet (e.g. historical local newspapers dating back a hundred years). Free up space for others to come and study. I guess that's not really the way to go, but since my local library was recently rebuilt in a brand new building, in the middle of a brand new public square, it has absolutely nothing to worry about[1]. [1] Neither do frogs placed into a pot of water, placed onto a stove a mere second ago.

chalst 15y ago

Providing research tools & a study place is one of the two functions of libraries. The other is archiving and referencing, and it is this that is the larger part of the librarian's professional skill. This function helps ensure that published knowledge survives in a usable form in the long term. The move of such knowledge to the information greatly increases the risk of destruction of such information. On the plus side, it is easier to censor libraries than the internet.

kevinalexbrown 15y ago

This is a fascinating read, but I'm not sure what the answer is to "why libraries now" as opposed to "how can we make sure libraries are still relevant?" I don't quite know the answer, and I admit to being queasy about letting them go. After all, libraries were such a democratizing power, even if their quality did rapidly fall off as one went from big city to small city to town. A great deal of attention was paid to making sure libraries aren't a footnote in history, but I think it's worth asking why we don't want that. (As an aside, I almost didn't follow the link because I assumed it was about undocumented Java libraries or some such thing)

enobrev 15y ago
It seems to me that the libraries of the world should be at the front lines of the public internet. A mix of Wikipedia, the EFF and Project Gutenberg. Ensuring human information is correct, well referenced, publicly accessible and protected in the interest of the public. Basically, what they've always been, but in digitized form. The libraries - as a tax-supported public servant - should be internet savvy enough to be top advisor to government on how to move forward in the best interest of the public in regards to the Internet and the media held therein. The largely one-sided tug-of-war that is copyright and the internet shows that the public needs a larger and louder representative when it comes to our media. "The library" should be front and center of these discussions making sure the decisions hold the public needs in high regard. With all these things in place, not only would libraries remain relevant, but they would thrive, remaining the important part in human history they've always been.
- RyanMcGreal 15y ago
  > A mix of Wikipedia, the EFF and Project Gutenberg. Don't forget http://archive.org http://archive.org.

unwind 15y ago

Uh, isn't the core function of "ordinary" (as opposed to research, and university on-campus libraries) libraries to loan out books? So that people don't have to buy a book just to be able to read it? As long as literature isn't free, it seems libraries have a role to fulfill. But then again, I think even that usage of libraries is declining, perhaps because time previously spent reading books is now spent on other pleasures (surfing the Internet, for instance). I don't have data to back up this hunch, though.

kam 15y ago

Phillip Torrone of MAKE has a radical suggestion for libraries' "next big thing" -- provide resources for building things. http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/is-it-time-to-rebuild-retool-public-libraries-and-make-techshops.html http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/is-it-time-to-rebui...