Do we still need libraries?
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While the Internet can be a helpful tool in conducting research, it is only a tool.Given the sheer vastness of the Internet, it is not surprising that this question is becoming increasingly common. What people do not do, though, is look at what libraries once were and what they now are. It is clear that libraries have evolved tremendously over time.
If one takes a look at what the job of a librarian once looked like, you would discover that this has changed tremendously. An example is the video on this hub.
Something to bear in mind, too, is that the library is often where people with less economic means get access to the Internet and to books. It would be a shame to leave behind people solely based on their lack of access to information resources.
Librarian Training Video: 1950s
5 Reasons We Need Libraries
1. The Internet is a vast wasteland.Yes, there is some good information on the Internet. Just as likely, though, you will find garbage. In addition, one of the key things that the modern library teaches patrons is how to research topics using online and off-line sources.
2. People often don't know what to ask. Research only works if you truly know for what you are searching.Go stand by the reference desk at a public library. Listen to the conversation between a reference librarian and a patron. Often what that patron thought they were looking for ended up being very different. Libraries have trained staff that know how to search for the right information and the resources available to do so.
3. Without libraries, there might not be librarians. Librarians, whether in public libraries or in schools, are the ones who teach people how to research, where to research, and what to research. They select materials, both online and off-line, that aid you in finding exactly what you need.
4. Libraries are often the center of technology for schools and communities. In many places, technology starts in the library. Unlike the video on this hub from the 1950s, there is no card catalog and librarians do much more than just check out books. They can be a driving force for technological implementation in the library and across the school.
5.Real information may be on the Internet, but it is often in commercial products such as online databases, encyclopedias, and other reference sites. Who chooses which subscriptions, who pays for it, and who trains patrons how to use it? Libraries provide an environment where people can learn why Wikipedia might not be a great choice for a research paper, but that brand-new Marshall Cavendish digital encyclopedia just might be.
Librarian 2.0 Manifesto
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Comments
Libraries are often multi-use facilities (as evidenced by your examples). Certainly there are people whose only access to the Internet happens in the library.
Thank you for reminding us of the functions of librarians, which are often forgotten and never used. It's nice to be able to hold something in your hands when you're reading... how good can it be to read off a screen? :)
tc, I could not agree more! There is something special about libraries. Beyond librarians who do indeed teach research methods to patrons, libraries provide programs for youth and adults who wish to learn something new. I can't imagine a world without libraries! Good hub. Thanks. Julie
I agree too. Growing up the local public library was a magical place to me, a place of quiet and mystery where fascinating books lurked only waiting to be discovered. Of course we need libraries, and librarians and the whole public service attitude that they still embody.
As a youngster, I used to love going to libraries to do schoolwork. Now I love to go there as a peaceful retreat from a noisy world. The sight of the super-tall shelves, and the smell of all those books remind me of simpler times.
And - just when I was afraid that the internet would displace yet another simple joy, you bring up the value and service of this honorable profession. Thank you!
Thank you for this hub. I qualified as a professional librarian in 1976 and still work in a library, albeit part-time these days. I note that most of these comments assume that "librarian" means "public librarian", but my own career was (and is) entirely within the academic and industrial sectors. I even found myself in Brezhnev's Moscow on one occasion, setting up a library in the British Embassy!
The work of a modern librarian may actually have very little to do with books as such, as much of one's time is taken up with guiding users to information in all sorts of places. The Internet is just another place where information can be found, but it is such a minefield that it needs a trusted guide if you are going to avoid all the traps that it offers.
When training to be a librarian, you are taught the importance of relevance and recall, which means finding the right quantity and quality of information. If your information skills as a searcher are lacking, you will end up with either too much material, much of which is irrelevant, or too little, in which case you will imagine that you have solved your problem when in fact you have not. A good librarian will help you to master these skills, so that your searches will be more fruitful in future.
Unfortunately, too many people assume that because "it's all on the Internet" (which is far from true), the role of the library has passed its sell-by date. I lost my own full-time job back in 2002 because of this attitude. The ironic thing is that librarians have always been the people who provided signposts to information, and the Internet needs as many signposts as it can get. Who better to supply them than the professionals who know how information works?
CJ Stone: Yup, libraries were certainly a wonderful part of my childhood. Glad that it is true for others.
Pam - Thank you for you kind words. Yes, the library still has a valuable place in our culture. Instead of considering getting rid of them, we should be investing in making them better, richer, fuller experiences for the patrons.
The Indexer = Thank you for your in-the-trenches analysis. What you have said is so true. Now, more than ever, we need libraries. They have become so much more than just places to hold books. They are where people learn to access information. What is more important than that?
Jerilee Wei says:
16 months ago
Another surprising reason we still need libraries is that they have become a hub in their own right. In many states, the computers available to the public who can't afford one, is how they apply for such services as: Medicaid, WIC, and general welfare online now. Waiting lists in our community to use the computers. Whole families at the library (apparently it takes a family to navigate the system). Here in Florida, they have glass rooms inside the library where parolees and juveniles meet their program supervisors. Another activity in our libraries -- it's the mecca of the homelss to escape the heat and use clean bathrooms. Not sure how all of this help the library system.