Double Digits

Public Agenda, Long overdue: A fresh look at public and leadership attitudes about libraries in the 21^st century.

This article was a little strange. It seemed to go against so much of what we’ve been reading, and what we’ve been seeing libraries do. Libraries are scrambling to be more attractive, to add things like coffeeshops and fireplaces, but people’s opinions in this study came across as more traditional. Books for kids are what’s important, not self-checkout options. Hard copies are crucial to average citizens, apparently. Only 12% saw adding a café to the library as a priority. These views match my own, but then what are we doing? Are we all in a panic about nothing?

Many stated that it’s important to keep libraries quiet—I agree, but I see a trend away from this. I think that ideally, we need quiet areas and more social areas, and that they both need to be comfortable, coffee-friendly, and well-lit. Study carrels don’t count as adequate quiet space, in my mind.

I notice that under the list of services that local communities do well, some of the middle-ranked categories were very relevant to libraries. “Having convenient places for public events and meetings,” “Public places where people can access the Internet,” and “Reducing illiteracy,” were all areas that didn’t fare as well as libraries—but are all functions that libraries are involved in. Does this bring the overall library rating down?

How leading were their questions? I think they may have been too wordy and suggestive.

Thomas Mann, The Differences Between Real and Virtual Libraries

Though this article struck me as a bit dated (I suppose 1998 was 8 years ago...), Mann's main point still seemed relevant. We've said it before, but it doesn't have to be an either/or situation: either libraries OR the Internet. Each fills a different role and can complement the other if we continue to let them co-exist. I also liked Mann's who-what-where analysis, and I think it's true: we're overly concerned right now with
the "where," which is why the Internet is so looked-to to solve our information problems. The "who" and the "what" we've had at a decently equitable and useful balance for a while now, so it's easy to forget that they don't just automatically transfer to a new medium. And I think he might be right that copyright won't ever disappear: the Internet, if it ever does come close to having "everything," will have it at a cost. Still, I think the time and technology of 1998 prevented Mann from seeing the ways that libraries could (and do now) offer access to their elite online resources to users at a distance-- and how will this separation of the library from its walls affect its future?