Public libraries

I grew up in the time that libraries were generally viewed as the repository of information. Adults went there to research how to fix things, students went there for school papers and the like. There was a weekend guest that would lecture about something most weeks. It was also a place for young children to go to for stories to be read to them by volunteers.

The internet has greatly impacted the niche that the libraries of the 70's and 80's filled in our societies. This is an improvement with being able to research from the relative safety and security of our homes. This is not meant to bash the internet at all but what role should the library take in our lives now?

When was the last time anyone went to their public library?

I was just at our local one here yesterday. There was a meeting going on about what to do for the future of the library. The general concensus seemed to be to turn the library into more of a local community center. In my own hometown back east, the library has teamed up with the local senior center. This is all fine and good but it leaves very little room for one of the few jobs the library fills for the public, stories for the children, as the unrelated young and aged dont tend to mix very well in many circumstances. Indeed there are rules in place for the very young to act more like young adults. Thats alot to expect of 5 year olds.

Is this to be the fate of our local libraries?

Should they maybe find a way to integrate themselves with the internet. I know there are many that are online and have their own websites to see if a book is available etc but I am talking about a much more aggressive approach. E-books. E-books dont deteriorate over time or with usage. They have no grafitti plaguing their pages. Late fees would be a thing of the past. How could it be late, you're not actually checking anything out? 20,000 people could be reading the same book at the same time. How many times have you heard someone complain that the print was too small? That complaint.... gone with font management (especially for the elderly). Granted some of the older books would have to still be kept in a local repository which could be ran by local governments. The employees are already in place, they run the larger libraries now.

You might ask, what about the poorer segments of our society, the ones that can't afford computers at home. Pretty much every library I have been in in the last 10 years has an area that is essentially an internet cafe. Expand these areas and have, say, 1/3 of the terminals as dedicated to reading and not web browsing.

There could still be a children's area where stories can be read and kept.

This would open up far more room for other activities in the buildings that currently house the libraries in their dysfunctional state. It would also cut overhead costs after the original set up costs along with decrease the building costs for any new branches. Before it is too late, let's help the library move into the 21st century before it becomes a dionosaur, too big and clumsy to maneuver in todays world.

Jack