By: Stewart Hall
It is a widely accepted notion that libraries are becoming increasingly digitally oriented. Many librarians and other faculty of universities are afraid that libraries will become obsolete and no longer useful. University librarian Steven Bell says "Speculation persists that we may soon be the higher-education equivalent of the Maytag repairman, as the Internet becomes the first place students and professors look for information." With the rise of databases such as JSTOR and projects like Google's print project, it seems that all resources, even printed ones, are moving to the digital realm. This leaves the thousands of books on the shelves seemingly useless. Still, some librarians argue that books are still superior and that online services do can not replace libraries. Michael Gorman says "They say they're digitizing books, but they're really not, they're atomizing them. In other words, they're reducing books to a collection of paragraphs and sentences which, taken out of context, have virtually no meaning." Librarians also argue that information services are invaluable and that these can only be offered by academic librarians in physical libraries.
What they may not be anticipating is a sort of compromise. It is true that not all books are fully available online; however, this does not mean that it can't happen, and the most likely outcome is that books will go digital in the future. Especially when the environment, printing costs, and convenience are considered. The most important attributes of libraries are their environment and community. Even when all sources are online, students will still go to libraries. Whether they go for a quiet place to study, a place to look up resources, or to collaborate with professionals the buildings will still serve a purpose. Furthermore, the absence of books does not mean that librarians are useless. They can still assist visitors with using technology, locating sources, and researching.
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