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Libraries Go High-Tech to Stay Relevant in the Digital Era

posted by takyon on Tuesday April 09 2019, @06:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the computer-lab-with-book-section dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

CNet:

Libraries are repositioning themselves as cultural and learning centers for the digital age. Many lend out mobile hotspots, often for weeks at a time. Others offer classes in the latest tech, such as 3D printing and music-editing software. And libraries have some of the savviest social media editors around.

On Sunday, libraries across the country began celebrating their evolving mission during National Library Week. Melinda Gates serves as honorary chairwoman of the annual event, which is sponsored by the American Library Association. Gates is an appropriate choice: She and husband Bill began funding computers, internet access and software for libraries in low-income communities through an organization they established in 1997.

Do libraries have a future as makerspaces?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:31PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:31PM (#827160)

    that everything can be MIM'd in real time.

    I have a stack of old technical books that are a pain the ass to move around. The used to be cheap, but if you've paid attention used pulp books have massively increased in price over the past decade. I'm not talking about fiction, I'm talking about quality engineering and science books. I hate moving my pulp stack when I move, and I would donate to the library. But I've done that before and they sell my rare titles and use the money to buy stacks of bodice rippers.

    Digital repo's can't be trusted. And many old titles are still superior to the 300$/copy annually updated shitware coming out of academia. The role of libraries has gotten more important during the digital age, not less. More important because they provide a hard copy means of validating digital copies that can't be trusted. Not because the author wasn't trustable, but because the distribution channel can't be trusted.

    It would be nice if libraries clued into that fact and started focusing on the quality of the collections rather than trying to be entertainment centers.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @11:50PM (#827164)

    what you are looking for is an archive.

    a public library was never a place to find archival material, because they flip inventory based on readership

    --

    oh.. good luck finding a easily accessible public archive