Why We Still Need LIbaries in the Digital Age - Part 2

The concept of a library, an organized collection of information, could be considered the very hallmark of civilization.  To record and maintain records of writings, research, and creations of artistic achievement, creating a history of knowledge and its achievements brought humankind to a new level of intellect, and allowed current and future generations to make educated decisions affecting their future based on the experiences of the past.  But for thousands of years these troves of information were exclusive to society’s elite – the wealthy, the royal, and the clergy. 

The next great step in the evolution of the library was to make the information public.  Allowing the common man access to the same information that maintained the separation of classes changed the world forever.  And once libraries were integrated – in that information was gathered and provided from various resources from around the world -- the once untouchable upper classes of society now became reachable and the measure of a man was no longer borne from his circumstance, but from his desire to control his life’s direction.

It is from this perspective that I insist a public library should be accessible to all.  It should be within reach to all of a society’s participants, whether it is via electronic media, mobile unit, or someone taking her bicycle for a ride.  It is imperative that knowledge be shared and made available to anyone willing to seek it. 

This was one of the driving forces behind the World Wide Web.  Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web and current director of the World Wide Web Consortium, envisioned a system that would provide unlimited access to information to anyone regardless of their abilities.  A significant part of that vision that is still incomplete is technological access.  No matter how vast the resources are, or how speedily information can be conducted from one location to another, the bottom line is that one must have some piece of technology to access the Web. Until technology is made available to all regardless of their financial standing, we must, as a civilized and democratic society provide a conduit to provide that information to the public. Today, as it was thousands of years ago, that conduit is the physical warehouse of information we call the public library.

Some may argue that it is not worth the investment to reach our most distant residents, that the usage rates of libraries are dropping, and the costs of maintaining the physical inventories to acceptable standards far outweigh the intrinsic value of the organization.  To the contrary, according to the American Library Association, library usage is higher than ever.  Also according to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, homes located within a quarter-mile radius to a library have an increased value of almost $10,000 more than those that do not.  That same study also concluded that libraries provide a solid base of business and economic development. 

Admittedly,  the old saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink" may be applicable in a number of cases where facilities are underutilized.  However, what kind of horseowner would you be if you never offered the water in the first place?