Why Public Libraries Matter: And How They Can Do More

“The Future of Libraries in The E-Book Age.” NPR, NPR, 4 Apr. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135117829/the-future-of-libraries-in-the-e-book-age. Accessed 1 Mar. 2017. In this article, Lynn Neary writes of the struggle libraries are havinh in battling technology as it progresses. The uprising of e-books, has left libraries somewhat ignored; until places such as Harper Collins publishing co. put a limit on how many times an e-book can be rented. Several pros of e-books are: when it is overdue it disappears from the device without any extra charge; and if it is loaned to someone, the copy is still on your device. One fear is that libraries are becoming obsolete and eventually, publishers will no longer be making money – thus authors will make even less from their works. Eli Neiburger thinks libraries could deal straight from the source: content providers. People would be forced to go through the library and the author/artist would get more money out of that. Libraries have always been the quiet thinking place, but if they are to survive, they must make changes to accommodate the uprising of digital novels and

As a new revolution rears its head due to rapidly evolving technology, many are becoming concerned with the potential problems that e-books could present. Ms. Elliot, a retired librarian, expresses her apprehension and concern for this electronic book form through a speech conducted at the “Reading: the future” forum. Directing her speech to mainly booklovers, she also reaches out to parents whose children will be most affected by the development of e-books.

Reading today is a lot different then it was in the year 868 AD; when the first book was published in China. You know a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers. Society today is so advanced that everything we do is constantly changing whether we realize it or not. For example, the book, before people would go to a bookstore or library to get the books they were interested in. Today society is making fewer trips to the bookstore and library, and making purchases of novels on their e-readers in the comfort of their own home. With these e-readers you can simply purchase any book you would like, some books being under a buck or even free, saving you a trip to the bookstore. E-readers

The author starts off with a rhetorical question: “What kind of problem is a library?” urging the readers to think about this question as they continue to read the article. The question grabs the readers’ attention, and intrigues them to read on to find and answer. She further utilizes this technique of rhetorical questions throughout the article for the same purpose of emphasis on the vitality of the role of public libraries. Moreover, Smith extensively employs the use of metaphors and personification. For example, she describes the internet as libraries’ “universal death knell”, which portrays the internet’s negative impact on the development of

In a world of tablets and smartphones, people tend to feel confused whether a dedicated e-reader is the right choice. E-Readers give the ability to carry thousands of books on the go saving paper and helping to make this planet greener. The big question is whether a dedicated e-reader is better than multipurpose tablets and smartphones. There are many

Reading was a favorite pastime a hundred years ago. From children to adults, there were many books they could read. Anne’s House of Dreams and Summer are a few popular ones. They came in wood and hardbacks, but paperback wasn’t so common. Now we have all sorts books, like e-books. The technology we currently have allows us to read where and whenever easily on our devices.

Even though books are static (the format depends on the end-user), within the next 10 years the library’s design will drastically change as technology advances such as digitization of books and the “read-write media culture”( Stein, C, 2014, p. 78). First of all, instead most of the space being designated for books, the library becomes the hub for people

As new technologies are rapidly introduced, people are able to find any information with the access of internet. This leads to people questioning the relevance of libraries and its true purpose. Public libraries cultivate the value of increased education and a social unity to advancing as a society.

As public libraries struggle to remain relevant in today’s society and respond to the changing needs of older adult patrons it is important to become more

The Long Branch Free Public Library was established 100 years ago with a mission to enrich the lives of Long Branch residents by providing resources and opportunities for life-long learning (Long Branch Free Public Library, n.d.). Currently, the library provides a wide range of services such as a computer lab, employment center, after school youth programs, notary services, faxing, and much more. These features make this library more than just a place to get a book, and the library has been nationally recognized for its innovative services, marking a shift in the idea of what a library can be (Kelly, 2014).

Since their establishment, libraries have served as a gateway to knowledge and services that revolutionized the way the public attains information. Unlike many other institutions, public libraries have grown and evolved along with society by adopting new technology and offering resources tailored to the needs of their local community.

Over the last few years the libraries patrons have been coming into the library looking for their additional services they provide other than the main function which has been print lending. According to an article in the Library Journal, which reference the circulation of print materials versus audio-visual materials “despite constituting only 7.6% of the “total adult holdings”, DVDs accounted for almost 60% of the circulations of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library”. The library now offers many more services such as video games, DVD, Blu-Ray, music, computer use, and Internet. These services are increasing the amount of circulation and number of people through the doors, but this is telling that majority of patrons are looking for the audio-visual materials of the library. Frequently, patrons arrive at the library not sure what they want to read. They spend a few minutes walking around trying to make

I do not know why, but I found myself not interested in books. In general, I think in out culture, reading is not popular as other cultures, and those who love reading is just an exception where the majority do not read. In addition, however, there is a generational shift towards reading habit, I think me and my generation do not read books as those in the previous two or three decades, and that’s due to many factors. Technology is one of the most important factors, one the other hand, Kindle is exploiting technology to make people love reading and it succeeded in doing so with me and others. Unsurprisingly, a study shows that those of age between 19 to 29 are the most prolific E-book readers (1). However,this artifact (E-book) is posing any considerable threat to the hardcopy book industry in the near future. There’s a report shows that a few readers have abandoned the hardcopy books for E-books

As Andrew Carnegie once said “There is no such cradle of democracy upon the earth as the free public library.” Libraries serve as a center of a community which is available to everyone regardless of age. Public libraries are available for everyone to use from students, youth groups, businesses, and senior citizens, which serves as a meeting place. The library’s effectiveness comes from being able to support the needs of everyone that uses the services, and to make it a better place for the community. Libraries play a critical role in the lives of individuals from young kids to senior citizens, according to ALA (American Library

Being a librarian and one who has always “had a fascination with gadgets” (Hanson, 2011), and a passion for both information and technology, Hanson states he has been working for five years to find a better way to join technology and information. He notes “libraries and librarians have perceived themselves as subject to near-constant technological upheaval and information revolution, largely due to the rise of microcomputing, desktop computing and Internet connectivity.” (Hanson, 2011) He believes libraries are situated in a place to encourage libraries to provide mobile library services. With nearly all Americans owning cell phones, accessing the internet via their cell phones and tablets and major service providers focusing on mobile applications instead of applications for the PC, Hanson suggests it is time for libraries to also focus their efforts on providing mobile services.