With technological innovation at every corner, we are seeing many industries lose their validity and eventually their place in the industry they once dominated. Technology is certainly groundbreaking but it does raise concerns for various traditional facilities such as libraries that have been a large part of human evolution since the beginning of time.
Are we experiencing the extinction of traditional libraries? Well, this article is going to get to the depths of this question and provide you the necessary information you need to understand the effect of vast and rampant technological innovation on facilities like libraries.
Okay, so let’s address the elephant in the room and get into the rest of this article.
SO… Will libraries ever go extinct?
Libraries won’t ever go extinct because they stand as the last defense for information, that is, libraries are the most trusted and credible sources for information. In a world where information is vastly available and easily accessible, libraries serve as the authority, protector and the validator of information. Therefore, libraries are not facing extinction; they are undergoing an evolution just like any other traditional facility or industry whilst still serving the purpose they’ve been serving since the beginning of time.
Is there a place for libraries in the future?
There’s definitely a place for libraries in the future, because while digital reading materials are available, some people still prefer print media. Also, libraries are more trusted as accurate information providers.
Granted, the new generation has adopted and accepted technology with open arms but the older generation is still adjusting. The move from an analog world to a digital one hasn’t been smooth for the older generation.
The younger generation is more open to trusting technological resources such as online data sources. The older generation has generally stuck to the things they are used to.
However this is not the only reason why libraries will be available in the future, perhaps the most important reason is that libraries provide a central source for information and is a cheaper alternative as compared to eBooks. Libraries are also community pillars where people can meet and mingle.
This in itself is another reason why people generally trust libraries more as compared to online resources. Libraries don’t only store books but they carry out the function of acquiring information, safekeeping it and facilitating its integrity in order to better communities. That role makes them the authority.
Therefore, thinking about libraries as places for books is not accurate because they are literally community centers that facilitate the betterment of societies while providing a safe haven for various people.
In many communities, parents use libraries as places where their kids can hang out after school, before they’re eventually picked up after their parents leave their work.
Is librarianship a dying or growing profession?
It may seem that librarians are no longer in fashion because information is at everyone’s finger tips but this is not true. Libraries will continue to exist and librarians for this reason will always be in need.
The internet and can provide information and resources but librarians carry out various roles that are necessary in the advancement knowledge through libraries such as ordering books, journals and other useful resources, cataloguing and taking stock of library materials, advising academics on materials most related to their study areas, making sure all users can access library resources, responding to and helping students, staff and other library users.
Is google the new library of libraries?
To some extent google can be said to be the library of libraries because almost all information about everything can be found with a simple search. However traditional libraries still hold an edge over google because they have access to specific scholarly databases that cannot be found online. This is one of the reasons why the traditional library is still held in very high regard.
We still cannot overlook the access and progress that google has allowed and brought to the fold. Therefore it’s safe to say we need both traditional libraries and online resources such as google because together they are powerful.
The access and reach of traditional libraries combined with high speed search provided by google is the reason why libraries have computers that can access the internet.
Physical books
Look, I know what you’re thinking; are physical books going out of fashion? Do people even still want them?
There is obviously a future for printed books because they have not gone out of fashion for as long as technology has been around. It is easy to think that physical books will no longer be needed because people have access to digital books that are easy and more convenient to work with.
The truth is, physical books are still preferred media because they impose a certain level of seriousness from the reader as compared to digital media.
Digital books have to be accessed on devices that are so advanced and this has a serious impact on the reader. Most readers easily get distracted when they read on digital devices such as books, phones, tabs etc. because these devices have advanced functionality. The reader can pretty much read email, make calls, post on Facebook, be on a video etc. on the device that they are supposed to be reading on.
It is for this reason that people still prefer hard copy books that don’t provide too many distractions.
Furthermore, people with eye conditions are not advised to read using digital devices because the blue light emitted from device screens can cause eye strain and likely worsen some eye conditions.
Therefore, taking into consideration all I’ve talked about here, it’s fair to say that books are not going away. They still play a very important role in today’s world.
Books Vs TV
Has TV Replaced the traditional book?
The fact is, no it has not, people out there still appreciate reading and if they didn’t, we’d probably stop seeing so many books as best sellers. TV can provide the same entertainment that books can; the only difference is that books require a little more work.
However, many still choose to read books because of the creative imagination the story, plots, or information allows them to experience.
As the world evolves around so much technology, a few people will always exist that still prefer to do things the old fashioned way
