The Future of the Library in a New World
Libraries have long formed the heart of the Western scholastic tradition. One can see the splendour of these centres in edifices such as the Codrington Library of England, the Bibliotheque Nationale in France, or the New York Public Library.
There’s certainly something magical in a well designed library: the rows of books, the smells, the peaceful atmosphere. It almost feels like a refuge from the chaotic and cacophonous world outside. I have incredibly vivid memories of my mother helping me get my first library card, the intellectual intimidation when I first ventured out of the kids section to look at the grown-up aisles, the satisfying sloomp of the library slot when I returned the stack of books I had taken out. My hometown library was tiny (mirroring the town itself), but something about that impenetrable quality made it seem larger than life.
Years later, I’ve continued to go to libraries (in fact, I’m in one right now), but sometime after elementary school, the nature of how I used these spaces changed. I never once took out a book from either of my high school libraries, and rarely checked out anything at my university. The reasons for this are multifaceted. For one, libraries stopped being the sole place to research things. A combination of Google, access to my university’s scholarly journals online, and the increasing prevalence of e-books meant I was using physical books less and less. But this didn’t mean I stopped going to libraries. Instead, the refuge quality of these areas became more important as I used them to as a place to study and work.
I don’t think I’m alone. As I look around the library where I’m writing this article, 85% of the patrons are on computers rather than reading books.
And that’s ok.
It’s easy to get nostalgic and pine for the hard covers and the crisp swish of turning pages, but the reality is that nowadays we have numerous new ways of consuming information. Libraries should reflect that, and increasingly they do. By offering methods of digital access to the public through music streaming services, digital journal and magazine subscriptions, and, of course, free wi-fi, libraries are fulfilling their original pledge to make knowledge available to the general public. Many libraries have been offering these services for years, and in doing so, act as a great equalizer for our society. Because of them, many low income or otherwise marginalized residents have access to the same informational sources as everyone else. The importance of these services for allowing people to improve their situation can not be understated.
In a time of economic turbulence, where traditional jobs are disappearing, libraries have the potential to provide a space for retraining, relearning, and most importantly, engagement with a society. Imagine the public benefit if policy makers took a bold stance in this area, and viewed access to technology and information as a fundamental public good, much in the way they view public safety and healthcare (outside of the US). This is a view of education that looks outside the 5–18 age range. This is a view of knowledge that looks outside the covers of a paperback.
Why can’t the modern library be a leader in providing VR, AR and online education to the masses? Why can’t the modern library be a leader in training adults for the jobs of tomorrow? Why can’t the modern library once again rise to become a centrepiece of the urban fabric? There’s a special character to libraries in the ways they provide refuge, in an inimitable atmosphere of public integration. Looking forward, I see no reason why this distinct quality could not allow the library to serve as the vanguard of a more equitable future.
