Libraries vs. the Internet Round 1 FIGHT!

All right, to be fair, this blog entry relinked as originally referenced here focuses more on bookstores and their decline, particularly the independent Mom 'n' Pop operations being nudged out by huge retail stores and the internet.

Still, this is the argument my group tried to make regarding our final project in our tech class. In order to survive, libraries must stay on top of new technology as opposed to hiding from it. This was the first part of our argument. The second part came up when our instructor nay-sayed our idea of purchasing more computers asking why we should do that when a local community center can provide free internet access. Why should people come to the library just to use the internet?

My rebuttal: if libraries have to stay ahead regarding technology, then why not redefine the terms by which that technology is used? Of course, the general "accepted" use of computers in libraries is "strictly research." Yet people are regularly caught looking at porn. I believe this is part of how screen privacy shields or individual cubicle setups for computer labs started becoming popular. I'm not saying we should get rid of all the books and let our patrons look up porn online. What I am saying is that as information professionals, we should take up the challenge brought to us, get people to learn that there are so many other ways to use the internet, so much information out there. If we can help our already over-worked and under-paid teachers get a kid hooked on science instead of meth, then that's pretty damn fantastic. Also, for those looking for jobs but can't afford the internet/a computer, the library is a blessing. I'm sure we can work some sort of skill development/jobhunting seminar in with the other information services.

I'm also a huge fan of the whole "rocking chairs in the children's section" thing. Not only could there be regular storytime, but we could provide an outreach program to parents to help them select books for their children to read (age appropriateness is an entirely different debate altogether). More book clubs, maybe some writing workshops, MeetUps (another way to use the internet to help connect people to the library).

But of course, one could still just say, "Uh, but can't we find books and chat online without having to go to a library or send our hard-earned tax dollars to a library?" Once again, it's the socialization aspect. Would you rather leave your kid alone with a computer all day or take them to a library and find books and other people to talk about those books with, say, perhaps people who know an awful lot about books and can provide recommendations. Ok, I know GoodReads, LibraryThing and other sites can provide a ton of user-generated reviews and ratings, but you have to admit that there's just something reassuring about talking to someone face to face who knows what they're talking about (and isn't a spambot that somehow evaded the captcha).

Besides, to add a bit of ad hominem and strawman into this (I'm no lawyer, so it's ok for me to do this), you don't want to be like this jackass. I mean, would you really want to live in a town without a library? Yeah, we have 40 Starbuckses and a bunch of strip malls that sell crap nobody needs, but a library? Who needs that? We have the internet.

In closing, for our population to be comprised of an "informed citizenship," we still need libraries and those who take that noble call to work in them. Also, librarians and other information scientists must not see the internet as a threat, but as a tool with which to help engage the citizenry (is that even a word? good lord I should go to bed).

I sort of got married...over the internet. I got better though!

For a little context, Jake is my pseudofacebookboyfriend. Yes, that is all one word. I'm pretty sure it will be in the dictionary someday. Perhaps not Merriam Webster will take it, but I'll write my own damn dictionary to accomodate it...damnit.

Anyway, we were talking about the usual mindless repetitive tasks of temp work, writing and losing sleep. This is the end result of one of our mad conversations. That's right, I somehow managed to get married over teh internets.

[18:07] Jake: well
[18:07] Jake: it's bedtime once again
[18:07] Me: ok
[18:07] Me: I won't deprive you of sleep.
[18:08] Me: I've got to get to writing this batshit crazy ending anyway...
[18:09] Jake: both are important
[18:09] Me: indeed
[18:09] Me: :tucks you in and gets you a glass of warm milk...but keeps the cookie:
[18:13] Jake: hey
[18:13] Jake: that's my cookie
[18:13] Jake: i theory
[18:14] Jake: i guess that's presumptuous of me
[18:14] Me: ok...fine...:gets you another cookie:
[18:14] Me: :takes a bite out of it before handing it to you:
[18:14] Me: hm...better be careful...you never know which cultures recognize food sharing as a sort of marriage ritual...
[18:15] Jake: sometimes a cookie is a commitment
[18:15] Me: indeed
[18:15] Me: :offers you choice of cookie with bite taken out of it and whole cookie that has nuts in it:
[18:17] Jake: hurm
[18:17] Jake: i have to go with nuts
[18:17] Me: ha! it was a trick
[18:17] Me: there was a bite taken from beneath the cookie
[18:17] Me: ha! now we're married according to someone's arbitrary ritual
[18:18] Me: (all it means is that you can't marry anyone else unless you reimburse me with a cow or something)
[18:18] Me: haha
[18:18] Me: so sweet! I get a free cow!
[18:18] Jake: okay
[18:18] Jake: or a free me
[18:18] Me: that works too
[18:18] Jake: well, a cookie isn't really free
[18:18] Jake: everything has its price
[18:18] Me: it is if you steal them
[18:18] Jake: right
[18:19] Me: (or steal the ingredients from orphans)
[18:19] Jake: haha
[18:19] Jake: you've got it all figured out
[18:19] Me: but not the ending of this book
[18:20] Me: (or how you're going to sleep with these weird ideas in your head of how we're apparently married now)
[18:20] Jake: haha
[18:20] Me: this conversation has to get posted somewhere (I'll put it in my blog or something)
[18:22] Jake: nice
[18:22] Jake: i'll sleep quite comfortably i think
[18:22] Jake: nice and warm
[18:22] Me: especially after the warm milk and inadvertent marriage cookie
[18:22] Me: good for you...I miss being warm
[18:22] Me: you know what, screw it, I'm getting in that bed with you. it's too cold in my apartment for me to finish my novel.
[18:23] Jake: i'm into long underwear now in a big way
[18:23] Me: ah...I like the flannel jammies, but I'm going to have to invest in the longjohns again
[18:24] Jake: i only ever wore them skiing but now i put them on when i get home from work
[18:24] Jake: they're so comfortable
[18:24] Me: ah
[18:24] Me: well, either way, move over. I'm getting in.
[18:25] Jake: gladly
[18:25] Me: just know that while you're all snuggly and asleep, some part of my brain is there with you while the rest of me shivers over my laptop and tries to end this novel once and for all
[18:26] Jake: good luck!
[18:26] Jake: you can do it!
[18:26] Jake: have a good night
[18:26] Me: g'night
[18:26] Me: and tanks
[18:26] Me: *thanks