On The End of Libraries

     I was reading an article by Slate the other day, which you can find here. It was a thoughtful commentary on the evolution of the library, and a forecast for its future. Describing a future without paper books, Michael Agresta points out that if libraries are to survive the digital age, the're going to have to completely remodel their entire purpose.


     For many years, the purpose of libraries has been to safeguard books. While e-books become increasingly popular, the classic paperback's end is predicted to be near. The funny thing is that it really is a good thing. E-books take up next to no space, they're more environmentally friendly than traditional books, and you don't ever have to transport them. The rise of electronic books won't even radically change the industry. Publishers will continue with business as usual, all the major book stores have already hopped on the e-reader bandwagon, even Amazon! E-books are less expensive to buy, and you can do so from the comfort of your own home, over the Internet. When you travel, you can take your entire book collection with you on the plane! Barring battery life (which e-readers have plenty of,) electronic reading is, in every sense of the word, better.

      However, I'm still sad. I've grown up with paper books, and I know that there's no true replacement to the feel of one in your hands. I like going to real world book stores, and I like visiting a library with row upon row of filled bookshelves. That being said, none of these things will save the paperback. They will fall into disuse, and stored in the library's back room, alongside archives of old newspapers. They will be forgotten.

     So what will your public library branch have to offer if not paper books? Many predict that libraries will become more so public spaces than anything else. With banks of computers instead of shelves of books, libraries may soon look like something out of a sci-fi novel. Others predict that libraries will simply cease to exist, and become a memory of days long past. Personally, I'm hoping for the former. Even if libraries stop housing physical books, they will remain a place of knowledge and learning. I can only ask that the mission of a library, the education and improvement of a society,will continue.

     Honestly, I don't like the idea of saying goodbye to paper books. But you know what that makes me? Older than the current age. E-books are so obviously better for consumers. It's now their time to shine. The march of time will go on, and I'll have to as well, lest I fall behind.


What are your thoughts on the future of libraries and the rise of e-readers? Please share them in the comments below, and don't forget to find Contemplations on Facebook and Google+.