Much Ado About Books
In the March issue of Library Journal, Laura Magzis reminds librarians not to forget about books. In our rush to technologize, link to, and provide access, we may sometimes forget about the tried and true staple that has been our business since Alexandria and other ancient repositories of knowledge. I hear ya Laura. You are preaching to the converted.
As a librarian from the school of St Leibowitz, I believe that books are the bedrock upon which a library should be built. St Leibowitz is a reference to the book saving saint in the seminal science fiction book titled A Canticle for Leibowitz
Books are what many patrons expect libraries to house. They look good and function without a power source. They are shelf stable for centuries. Many, even in landfills, will be here long after we are gone.
Without them we look just like the computer lab down the hall. How can we fulfill a mission as stewards of knowledge, if cutting off that knowledge is as easy as cutting a Cat 5 cable? Can this technologization of libraries continue? Where does it lead?
We live in the wealthiest and most advanced society ever to exist on planet earth. We are a few hundred million out six billion, engaging in a wonderful cyber world that makes every computer an information oasis. For most of humanity, the book is probably still the best potential and most functional information source.
The electronic era is a wink of an eye largely made possible by the Pax Americanus,(a play on the Roman Pax Romana) the decades of peace and prosperity and freedom that have created the affluent society we live with today.
Global climate change stands to change the rules by which our society has been allowed to create the Google and Microsoft library revolution. My rhetorical question to librarians is: "If Rome burns...how do we log on?"
Magzis cites statistics that show library circulation is up. This is good news for perennialists like myself that believe in the lasting power of the book...Long live the book! May we still have some if the power goes out.
As a librarian from the school of St Leibowitz, I believe that books are the bedrock upon which a library should be built. St Leibowitz is a reference to the book saving saint in the seminal science fiction book titled A Canticle for Leibowitz
Books are what many patrons expect libraries to house. They look good and function without a power source. They are shelf stable for centuries. Many, even in landfills, will be here long after we are gone.
Without them we look just like the computer lab down the hall. How can we fulfill a mission as stewards of knowledge, if cutting off that knowledge is as easy as cutting a Cat 5 cable? Can this technologization of libraries continue? Where does it lead?
We live in the wealthiest and most advanced society ever to exist on planet earth. We are a few hundred million out six billion, engaging in a wonderful cyber world that makes every computer an information oasis. For most of humanity, the book is probably still the best potential and most functional information source.
The electronic era is a wink of an eye largely made possible by the Pax Americanus,(a play on the Roman Pax Romana) the decades of peace and prosperity and freedom that have created the affluent society we live with today.
Global climate change stands to change the rules by which our society has been allowed to create the Google and Microsoft library revolution. My rhetorical question to librarians is: "If Rome burns...how do we log on?"
Magzis cites statistics that show library circulation is up. This is good news for perennialists like myself that believe in the lasting power of the book...Long live the book! May we still have some if the power goes out.
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