10/28: What is library’s role in age of iPad, Kindle?
Moderated by Tom Sabulis
Georgia’s state funding of public libraries ranks eighth in the nation. But local support lags, so systems face big budget cuts.
Gwinnett County has turned to raising private funds.
University libraries, in turn, are moving to make their research more accessible to the masses.
Both make a strong case for the continued viability of libraries in the age of Kindle and the iPad.
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26 comments Add your comment
tsabulis
October 28th, 2011
1:54 pm
So do you think libraries should be more aggressive soliciting private funds? Would you, or do you, contribute?
Tom
October 28th, 2011
1:40 pm
My response to “Homework help, adult literacy classes, job searching and resume help, GED testing, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, children’s story times, adult programs of all varieties, computer and wifi access, research databases.”
My county library system is well funded but homework help is not performed by the paid librarians – outside non-profit groups perform this service and may use the library space. Same for adult literacy classes. Our employment office helps with job searches, preparing resumes, and even sends applications by mail free of charge. Our librarians point to the computer and tell you how much it cost to print copies. GED testing is offered by outside groups and they often use the library meeting rooms for this function. Librarians are not involved beyond unlocking and locking the room. The public is no longer allowed to use our meeting rooms in any of our new facilities – businesses selling products are. Story hours are held in the mornings when the poor are working – if they are lucky enough to have jobs and can not take their children. Nannies find the story hours a great help for parents wealthy enough to afford a nanny or have a stay at home parent. The commute to our libraries by taxi is a minimum of $3 each way – not a small amount for the poor. Our libraries also do not have ebooks, few audiobooks, and even fewer DVDs and CDs. The main draw to our libraries are the computers for free Facebook, Farmville, and email time. I believe all these services could be accomplished through a community center with tiny staff instead of post-grad librarians sitting around bored while unpaid volunteers work the stacks, check out books a few books (we have an automated self service system) and answer patron questions.
Chiquita Bonita
October 28th, 2011
1:29 pm
Not everyone can afford a Kindle or any e-reader, and buying books can get expensive. Just last weekend, I engaged in one of my favorite activities – I went to a bookstore and browsed, got totally absorbed in a book and made note of the title and author, then went to a library and checked it out.
Butler9
October 28th, 2011
1:17 pm
I love aimlessly browsing the stacks — “Hmmm … this looks interesting … oh wow — this looks really cool … funny — I’d have never thought to read something like this if I hadn’t have chanced upon it here … “, etc. But, then, my reading choices tend to be capricious. I do no ‘focused research’. I lose myself in the joy of unexpected finds, leading me down paths of adventure that sometimes take many months or even years before they peter out. For example, almost five years ago I pulled down an old book whose dust cover — mind you — happened to catch my eye. Written by Emil Lengyel in 1939, ‘The Danube’ captured my imagination to such an extent that I have since visited Hungary twice (through which the great river flows), and toured the German towns along the Rhine. These visits, in turn, gave me the opportunity to see another dozen countries in Europe. I had not traveled much before I placed that book in my hands. I suppose that kind of thing can be done in the digital age, but it seems less likely to me. Alas, @William Anderson may be right. But it’s a damned shame.
Lisa Macklin
October 28th, 2011
1:13 pm
Yes, libraries are actively digitizing their books, but many books from the 20th Century are still protected by copyright and can’t be digitized in their entirety. This means library collections will remain both print and digital for the foreseeable future. Libraries serve many functions for their communities, including providing a physical space for people to gather, study, work, read, research, use library computers, job search, get research help and have community group meetings. Many people crave a quiet, comfortable place away from the distractions of their sometimes chaotic lives. Those of us who work in libraries know that magic can happen in a library, when someone discovers a new idea or finally figures out that difficult math problem or gets to hold and read a rare book hundreds of years old.
markie mark
October 28th, 2011
1:08 pm
@William Anderson….William, if you thought more dynamically and less statically, you would be able to realize that libraries do more than just warehouse books….
The Hole at the Bottom of the Sea
October 28th, 2011
12:51 pm
Libraries are needed now more than ever. Yes, much content is being transferred to a digital medium. However, much of the public requires education and assistance with the identification, location, and use of digital resources. The use of the physical public library is booming in these trying times due to many having dropped their web access due to job loss or financial straits, opting to use the largely free services of the public library, which they have already paid for through their tax dollars.
Mary
October 28th, 2011
12:42 pm
In the age of increasing information technology, libraries play an even more important role than ever. Regardless of the format, libraries provide free access to information and librarians provide guides to access that information. eBooks for Kindle, Nook, etc. are all available from the library for free. Homework help, adult literacy classes, job searching and resume help, GED testing, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, children’s story times, adult programs of all varieties, computer and wifi access, research databases, etc. are all available to anyone with a library card for free. It definitely is not senseless to support brick and mortar libraries, which are so much more heavily used in these times of economic downturn.
Samantha
October 28th, 2011
12:28 pm
I prefer a book I can hold vs a kindle or any other pad. Books do not break down, however if the kindle breaks down or the air waves it uses so a person can read – then you are out of luck! Give me a book anyday!
William Anderson
October 28th, 2011
7:56 am
Brick and motar libraries are inefficient hold overs from the 20th Century. Most large libraries, including the Library of Congress and even the Vatican Library are digitizing their books and putting them on line as fast as they possibly can. The days of the old library are over and wasting money building more is senseless.