The Death of Libraries?

“…Now that Google has agreed to scan millions of books from five major libraries and to make their contents searchable on the Web—a project that experts say is likely to yield spinoff technologies that drastically lower the costs of digitization and catalyze similar efforts worldwide—can the disappearance of libraries themselves be far behind?

 Most librarians say no, as our story “The Infinite Library,” on page 54, reports. Whatever the form in which book content is stored, librarians believe, people will still come to libraries for expert help finding information, for public access to the Internet, or for the comfortable atmosphere libraries provide for reading and reflection. And there will always be a need, professionals point out, for places that preserve traditional paper books.

All of that may be true. But there is still room to wonder how libraries will trump the expediency of being able to download a whole book over the Web, at little or no cost, instead of schlepping to the library….

So in reality, the future of libraries may rest on just two factors: the rate at which digitization and display technologies ­advance, and the evolution of laws and practices regarding copyrights….

If publishers and authors maintain their tight control on these books after they are scanned, public libraries will still have an important place as a free source for them, even if they can loan out only a few electronic copies at a time. On the other hand, if Google and others can arrange with publishers and authors to allow low-cost downloads of whole books—a likely prospect, seeing that it gives publishers a new way to squeeze revenues from their backlists—then libraries will inevitably recede in importance. It’s a simple matter of convenience: free or low-cost access to digital books will make libraries more dispensable.” [Technology Review]

While it’s disheartening to have a magazine like Technology Freaking Review imply that the only thing libraries have to offer in the digital world is digital versions of print books, I also think it’s a wake up call. We sure haven’t shifted into these TR authors’ world.

The last sentence of this short blurb should stick in the back of your mind permanently:

“But if librarians want a steady supply of patrons, they’ll need to find ways to keep their institutions relevant in the digital age.”

Shifting to where your users are equals relevance in today’s world. Luckily, the blinders on the longer Infinity Library article are a little smaller, but the basic assumption remains the same. It’s interesting that the article concentrates on books and even fair use issues while completely ignoring multimedia, but even more surprising is the decision to focus solely on users “walking” into the library. I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean walking paper, either.