Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggleton
... That space does not need to be called a library ... What exactly is a library?
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I see no reason why public libraries should not continue being called libraries. It would be absurd if the name was changed, each time a new technology for accessing stores of information was developed. I think of
libraries as being collections of information, and places where people can access information in a variety of different ways, freely. Whether they contain scrolls and books, like the ancient
Library of Alexandria, or p-books and e-books, periodicals, photographs, microfilm, films, music recordings, patents, software, and devices for accessing other information stores such as the Internet - or any other system for storing and accessing knowledge bases - is irrelevant, for it's missing the point. It's not about the technology used to store, access or deliver collections of information, rather its about the collections themselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by neb52
... I think they need to not only shift the libraries to a private/public partnership ...
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I deplore the idea of privatising public libraries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lirael
... The library in my hometown is one small room filled with computers and DVDs, with a shelf of books that no one reads tucked away in a dusty corner ...
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And there was a time when woodblock printing was cutting-edge technology. Computers, DVDs, paper books, and so on, are just means of storing, accessing and delivering information. Libraries are much more than that.