The Death of the Impromptu Libraries

[Dee Dee Warren]

Here is a very good article from The Library Thing Blog.

Reading alone: How ebooks will kill the smallest libraries
By Tim

A shelf at a church library catalogued by LibraryThing members. (See other flash-mob cataloging events.)
I've argued before (1, 2) that ebooks will hurt or even kill traditional libraries. I'd like to present the even stronger case that ebooks will kill off the small "community" libraries all around us--the shelves and rooms at churches, health centers and many other similar places.

These little, informal lending libraries grow like weeds all around us and contribute to the fabric of social life and community identity. It will be a shame to lose them, but it is probably inevitable.

Here is the link to finish the article and come back here to discuss if you like.

[Kelp]

Man, that's terrible. If all those implications are accurate, I'm not sure I ever want to read another ebook just on principle.

Can't stop the market though...

[Dee Dee Warren]

That is a very interesting article ¿Verdad?

You can't stop technology though, but I realize just how much twenty years from now I will look back with fondness upon the little dusty book shelves that we grew used to seeing, such as at the clubhouse of my homeowners association.

[NeilUnreal]

It's these kind of creeping, structural changes that are turning me into a gadget contrarian.

Obviously, being a professional programmer, and having worked in the design of new electronic products, I'm not a complete Luddite. However, I'm starting to think that gadgets should be used mainly in cases where there is no other option. For example:

1) An iPod is great as a delivery mechanism for deliberately listening to music or podcasts. Used as a faux ambience, however, it's a poor substitute for the true being alive and aware in the world.

2) A cellphone can be a lifesaver when you really do need to make a call at a specific time for a specific purpose. As a 24/7 ear decoration, it's about as attractive as a talking cigarette.

3) If you can't bring any important ideas to a meeting without lugging along a laptop, perhaps your ideas aren't important enough to be part of the meeting.

4) One of the greatest but least-appreciated moments in publishing history occurred when books and newspapers became cheap enough to lend or throw away. How long until e-readers become cheap enough to lend? And will they ever become that cheap without so locking up the content with DRM that only the original purchaser can read them?

5) Remember, somebody who can own the medium on which you're reading something has the power to make that reading impossible on a whim. In the past, it was possible to control the flow new information to a certain extent. In an electronic/DRM world, it will be possible to control the flow of old information.

None of the above is reason to abandon technology, but they are all reasons to take personal, active engagement in deciding the roles various technologies will have in our lives and communities.

-Neil

[Stevo]

I have wondered about this. I even asked one of the big managers during an interview for a library job how ebooks would fit in to a traditional library. He didn't really know and just mentioned something about gradual incorperation.