Tuesday, April 1, 1997
INTERNET:
Worth of libraries as centers of thought, study may soon be lost
under influx of computersBy Rosemary Falls
New York Times
Luddites unite! Those of us who value books more than computers
are facing tough times.
The Internet/CD-Rom mind-set is transforming beloved public
libraries into entertainment centers, with their disappearing shelf
space, computer terminals, entire book collections thrown out for
being archaic, and a zeal to embrace every myth uttered about the
wondrous electronic library.
In California, one disgusted library patron has filed suit
against the new state-of-the-art San Francisco Public Library
because it destroyed some 200,000 volumes and an entire card
catalog system, which represented decades of human labor and
ingenuity.
The building, touted by Newsweek as the library of the future,
features soaring empty spaces and computer terminals galore. But,
there is so little shelving for books that one critic declared,
"That building was designed by someone who hates books. Who hates
books?"
Are books an archaic concept in mainstream American culture?
Surely we are not simply succumbing to the temptation of change for
change’s sake. We see the results of that in dusty microfiche
readers, discarded 8-track tapes, and  dare I say it Â
dust-covered computers already piled in the corners of a thousand
school buildings.
Granted, there are exciting opportunities on the Internet. On
this 100th anniversary of the Library of Congress’ Jefferson
building, some 70,000 non-book items are being made available, not
just to scholars and specialists, but to everyone.
Still, I see three caution lights on the information
superhighway.
While books are expensive, their cost is minimal when compared
with the hardware, software, installation, training, replacements,
vandalism, theft, staffing and printing required by this new
phenomenon.
For example, the CD-ROM encyclopedia might seem to be
cost-effective. But, only one person can use it at a time, because
all the "volumes" are together.
The promotion of the electronic library has created the
emblematic image of a "schoolchild doing research" as one who
shouldn’t be stuck with stodgy print encyclopedias or forced to
browse through the stacks and read books.
The message is that books are boring, while the data on screen,
complete with bells and whistles, will produce a nation of
scholars. Nonsense.
A story in Time applauded Microsoft’s $3 million grant to the
Brooklyn Public Library, for Internet connection, by making the
claim that "more knowledge comes down a wire than anyone could ever
acquire from books." Data, maybe. But knowledge? No.
When Thomas Jefferson donated his books for the first library,
he envisioned a place for the study and exchange of ideas, a refuge
for all classes of people. Today, there is a need for such a place.
People who can’t afford computers and video games can hardly afford
silence. In a world of noise and disorder, a place of measured
thought is the province once again of the wealthy.
If we are serious about encouraging a nation of readers, we must
place high value on good books and a quiet place to read them.