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1PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Public Libraries in the Digital Age

Lib200: Section 12

Term PaperCourtney Zwieg

12/6/2011


Abstract

This paper explores the advancements in technology and its effects on public libraries.

While some believe new technology will make libraries obsolete, there appears to be a symbiotic

relationship that can benefit libraries. It is found that many different kinds of technology do

change how libraries work and in some case who public libraries target for community programs.

However, although new technology like electronic books, do affect libraries, public libraries do

adapt with them. Libraries also couple new technology with physical books which in turn keeps

physical books relevant to their patrons. As long as libraries continue to adapt, and do not shy

away from new technology they will not become obsolete.


The existence of libraries dates back thousands of years. Many people regard libraries as

a place that houses historical documents and texts, as well as a multitude of other important

information. However, with the ever-changing advancements in technology in this day and age,

many people are starting to think that public libraries will become obsolete. Public libraries are

showing that they can adapt to new changes in technology and still maintain relevance and

usefulness to their patrons. There are many scholars that say that there will be a place for public

libraries in the future with further advancement in technology, but the public libraries may be

digital. However, many scholars point to public libraries possibly going extinct. This paper

differs from the point of view. Libraries may change in how they operate, but they will not

completely disappear. With the invention of portable readers that contain books in electronic

book formats, mobile phones that can access the internet and the increasing popularity of search

engines, public libraries are finding a way to stay relevant with the new technology, as well as to

people who do not have access to the new technology. Libraries now offer quick response

barcodes that are interactive with smart phones like iPhones, lending programs for electronic

books, in some cases some libraries may lend electronic book readers out to their patrons. Many

libraries now interact with their patrons by using social networking websites like Facebook and

Twitter. This makes it easier for the patrons to interact with the library and may increase the

likelihood that the patron will utilize the library’s services more often. A problem with the

increased technological aptitude of public libraries is that librarians need to spend more and more

time educating patrons on how to properly operate the new technology. Also, people are using

the internet as a reference without consulting reference librarians to confirm data with and the

older generation is feeling more and more anxiety towards using new technology that many

times they do not understand how to use. While libraries are becoming more and more


technologically savvy, the new formats that libraries house, electronic books, mp3, and even

search engines, require expensive equipment to access. There will always be patrons who cannot

afford new technology to access these new formats and rely on libraries to do so. Libraries will

always be necessary in society, they will continue to adapt to the ever-changing technology and

maintain relevance in society.

García-Marco (2011) discusses the ecology of libraries in “Libraries in the digital

ecology: reflections and trends.” She presents an analysis of the social aspects taking place

within libraries. The author describes how getting information works now, and the process of

getting information with the explosion of access to the internet. Eventually, García-Marco comes

to the conclusion that physical libraries as they are known today, will cease to exist in the future.

The author maintains that while electronic books and physical books will co-exist for a time,

most libraries will become digital access points. (García-Marco, 2011) The author contends that

currently “Libraries are one of the main available bridges between available knowledge and

knowledge gaps.”(García-Marco, 2011, pg 109) Libraries will continue to serve this purpose but

in a purely digital way in the future. The author describes a pressure to discard physical copies of

books that will rise from the digitizing of information. Until a point when all that is left is

physical items in “…museum or heritage libraries…” (García-Marco, 2011, 116)

The author makes very good points about the idea of libraries becoming solely digital

access points and that libraries as they are known today, will cease to exist in the future.

However, it seems that it may be possible that physical texts and electronic texts may always co-

exist together. Whether or not physical libraries become obsolete at this point is just speculation.

It is possible that libraries will become digital access points but it is not known. García-Marco

writes almost certainly that they will be gone completely. The article was well-written and the


main points are true. While many hope that libraries do not become obsolete and extinct, the way

people receive data has changed. García-Marco is right in believing that physical libraries will

become obsolete, when this may happen is a mystery. It may happen in twenty years or it could

happen in one hundred only time will tell what exactly the scenario is. García-Marco writes with

such certainty that the reader feels as if it could happen sooner than expected. The paper

contained a multitude of information from multiple aspects of the users of the libraries, as well as

the libraries themselves. When all of the information is lined up it does seem that eventually

libraries with physical books may no longer exist, however, librarians that assist people at digital

library access points do. This paper points to the future, where although there are few paper

books, there is still a large collection of information in one space, free to be accessed by the

community, and aided by the help of librarians. This paper is not pointing to the end of libraries,

it is pointing to a change in medium, and the adaption of the libraries to this change. Libraries

will not become obsolete with the advent of electronic books, or other emerging technology like

many people think, they will just continue to adapt and stay a useful part of the community.

A relatively recent technical tool is the search engine. There are a multitude of search

engines available to users on the internet, including Yahoo, Ask and Google. Google has

obviously been embedded within popular culture. Presently it is listed as a verb in the Merriam

Webster Dictionary and many people respond to hard problems in life with the phrase “Google

it.” Search engines affect libraries by changing the way that library patrons conduct their

research. Prior to search engines, if people wanted information on a certain topic they would

have to go to a library and physically look at books to solve their queries. However, in the age of

Google, people can get online and search for what it is they want and receive relatively relevant

results. According to Joseph Janes, “Google is free, quick, easy, and, in general, good enough.”


(Janes, 2007, 91) The change that search engines have had on libraries is noticeable in the

shrinking reference sections of libraries around the country. Reference books are no longer the

only way to access information and libraries are deeming them unnecessary to maintain.

However, Janes maintains that search engines cannot “…select or evaluate or decide upon the

pages that are added to its index.”(Janes, 2007, 92) This means that the links presented within the

search may not be relevant to the what the searcher is looking for or contain accurate information

There are, however, a couple of things that libraries have that search engines do not, that may

draw in patrons to do research. Search engines are “…unable to be tightly connected in any

meaningful way, to any community in the same ways that libraries are.” (Janes, 2007, 93) Janes

also points out that search engines have a “lack of depth” that, many times only books have.

This goes to show that, although search engines may be convenient to use for many, they are not

always accurate. In order to receive accurate information, one may have to go to a library and

utilize their resources to ensure accurate information. Libraries have catalogues for finding

books, many books for finding in depth information, and reference librarians who can aid the

patron in finding what they are looking for and pointing them in the right direction.

Cellular phones are very popular in this day and age. In 2010 it was expected that cell

phone subscriptions worldwide would hit five billion.(Whitney, 2010) Libraries are taking the

easy access that mobile phones provide and utilizing it, so patrons can access the library via

mobile phone. “The most striking trend in the evolution of the web appears to be the portable and

personal web, which has made possible the development of the mobile library (m-library).”(Sun,

Chen, Tseng, and Tsai 2010, pg. 325) Patrons can access information that they used to have to go

to the physical library building for from their phones wherever they are. “Information that

patrons traditionally found at the reference desk, in the reference collection, is no often available


for their handheld accessible to them at the point of need, whether at their book group or out with

friends at the ball game.”(Fox, 2007, pg. 8) Libraries are also taking advantage of sending out

SMS text messages to subscribers. “Text messages or texted RSS feeds are being used in

libraries to inform users of new resources and upcoming events, and to monitor patron

accounts.”(Fox, 2007, pg. 11) This allows patrons to interact with the library wherever they go,

because most people take their phone with them everywhere. A patron could get a text message

that their checked out material is due tomorrow or that there is an event at their library that week.

It allows for constant interaction between the library and the patron. This could possibly increase

the patron’s activity with the library, because the patron is well-informed, and may feel a

stronger connection to the library.

One of the main technological advances that people are pointing to as the end of the

physical library is the invention of the electronic book technology. This puts books into

electronic files which are accessible by e-readers, mobile devices, and computers. One could

have an e-reader filled with four hundred books, but they would only have to carry around the

one piece of equipment to access all of that text. More and more college textbooks are becoming

available in this format and in the near future, high school and elementary school texts may be

available in this format. In some elementary schools grant money pays for the children to have

laptops at their disposal to utilize for school work, it seems that soon there will be grant money

allocated to give the children e-readers for their textbooks. Many libraries offer services now

where you can check out digital material. You simply go onto the library website and choose the

digital copy of a book, enter your library account information and then it is available to

download onto your digital device almost immediately. This provides patrons with the

opportunities to check out materials from the library at all hours of the day and night, and not


simply within library operation hours. Especially in this day and age when budget cuts are

affecting the operation hours of libraries, people can access information from libraries that are no

longer open in the hours that they are free to go the library. There is a growing mentality that is

coupled with the advent of new technology of instant gratification. People can look up any

information that they want to at the drop of a hat from seemingly anywhere in the world. People

want to get what they need immediately and buying or checking out electronic books allows

them the instant gratification of receiving the book on their digital device immediately without

having to go out of their way to go to a bookstore of the library. If it comes to a time when some

material is solely published in an electronic book format, many more libraries would check out e-

readers to their patrons so they can access the electronic information. Currently, there are some

public libraries that offer e-readers to check out to their patrons. The movement to check out e-

readers may become more widespread if the ratio of physical published material was smaller

than the ratio of electronic books.

Many people argue that there is a problem reading solely electronic books. Many of the

devices that are capable of viewing an electronic book are back-lit. This means the screen, like a

computer screen, there is light emitting from the actual device, essentially from behind the text.

Continual reading in these conditions will eventually strain the eyes, resulting in fatigue. For

example, if a reader is studying for a test, they will most likely be required to read multiple

textbooks for longs periods of time. Additionally eye fatigue can also cause headaches in the

reader. There are e-readers that are not back-lit but many of the new models are set up like tablet

devices and are back-lit. Actual text copies of books are not back lit and many people find them

easier to read for long periods of time. Another problem with electronic reading devices is that

they depend on batteries to maintain power. When reading a physical copy of a text one does not


need to worry about whether or not they are near an adequate power source. Physical copies of

text are truly portable. According to Ziming Liu (2008), “People tend to feel more comfortable

reading short documents rather than lengthy documents on a glowing screen.” (Liu, 2008, pg.

144) Liu writes in another piece, “…electronic media tend to be more useful for searching, while

paper-based media are preferred for actual consumption of information.” (Liu, 2005, 700) So if

one needed to retain the information from a long document, they may be better off utilizing a

printed document as opposed to reading the information on an e-reader. This also seems to say

that having textbooks on an e-reader makes it harder to retain the information and harder to read

the information in the first place. Another aspect that people seem to truly enjoy from physical

documents is physically highlighting and making handwritten notes. E-readers do make it

possible to highlight and make notes on some documents, but many people enjoy hand writing

their notes and doing their highlighting by hand.

One problem with the demand for electronic books is that many people and librarians

find that with a project to scan and digitalize millions of books Google has monopolized

information. (Darnton, 2009) Google Book Search was sued by many publishers and authors in

its infancy due to copyright law infringement. “The settlement created a complex mechanism for

sharing the income that will be generated by selling access to Google’s database.”(Darton, 2009,

pg. 45) In a sense, many libraries have allowed Google to use their collections, digitize them, and

place them in a database, and then Google is going to turn around and charge the libraries a fee

for using the database. Darton (2009) states that because there is no viable competitor to Google

Book Search, they essentially have a monopoly on a database system. One company would be

controlling what the user has access to and for what fee they would have to pay. Due to the fact


that there are no competitors, Google could charge as much as they want because there would be

no competitor fee to keep it down.

Another growing technology that seemingly has popped up everywhere overnight is two

dimensional or quick response (QR) barcodes. Quick response barcodes are barcodes that are

formatted to work with smart phones, more often than not the iPhone. Baker (2010) describes

how these barcodes work:

Two-dimensional barcodes differ from conventional barcodes partly in the way

they store data. Conventional barcodes make use of only the horizontal dimension

so that adding data increases the width of the barcode. In some cases the barcodes

become too wide to scan with traditional equipment. Two-dimensional barcodes

make use of both the vertical and horizontal dimension, therefore storing more

data. (pg. 23)

This is a form of mobile tagging. “Patrons connect to online information simply by

using their cell phones to scan the tag rather than typing a URL.”(Baker, 2010) This allows

patrons to be interactive with book displays and will garner more interest from them. Abilene

Christian University constructed a display that consisted of books as well as quick response

barcodes. They found that they had a, “… 95% checkout rate for display books, greater

utilization of related library resources, and a new method of delivering mobile library services

that was free to implement, had high patron impact, and required relatively low library

effort.”(Baker, 2010) This is proof that if libraries create displays that contain both physical text

components combined with a digital aspect, like quick response barcodes that require cell phones

to use, it will draw the attention of the patron, and possibly increase their use of the library.

Patrons who would not normally be drawn into a display are drawn in by curiosity in some cases


to see what a quick response barcode is and this may even spark a conversation with a librarian

about what the quick response barcode is. This shows that libraries can keep non-digital material

relevant by pairing it with new digital technology.

An innovative and useful invention in technology is social networks. Social networks

allow people to interact via the internet. Some, like Facebook are entire profiles and there is no

character limit on what a person posts and others, like Twitter, are communications in one-

hundred-forty characters or less. These sites offer libraries the opportunities to share things with

their patrons in an immediate way. This satisfies the ever-present need for society for instant

gratification. This allows patrons to know more about what is happening in their libraries. This

also opens up lines of communication between patrons and the libraries or people within the

community who are not yet patrons of the library. The use of social networks by libraries can

draw more patrons in to use services they did not know that the library had or it can draw patrons

in to community education classes they did not know existed. Social networks are fantastic tools

for libraries to utilize to inform their current patrons of new things, as well as a medium to draw

more new patrons into the public library. Being involved in a social network also makes libraries

seems relevant to young adults who, in many cases, visit social networking sites daily. A

research study conducted by Louise Rutherford (2008) found:

This analysis found that respondents believed that implementing social

software in their libraries would help them fulfill their mission and goals for the

library service. These goals included providing a service relevant to the

community, meeting community needs for information and leisure, building

communities around the library and keeping the library “relevant in the lives of

our customers”. Rather than being a new idea that would radically change what


they were doing, most participants saw social software as extending the current

range of services they offered, and providing new ways to achieve familiar goals.

(pg.421)

A problem that can arise from multiple technological advancements that libraries are

using is the increased need in education of the patrons. This puts the librarians in the position of

being educators that need to teach their patrons how to utilize new technology. “New technology

has enormously expanded the roles of librarians in teaching students to use information

searching equipment. The role continually evolves because the technology to which it is yoked

also does.”(Sun, Chen, Tseng, and Tsai 2010, pg 330) Librarians need to educated young people

who do not know how to use technology to search for relevant and accurate information as well

as the older generation who have not been exposed to the new technology. A study has shown

that community education classes taught twice a week at the local public library can ease the

computer related anxiety of the older generation. (Xie, 2011) This also puts stress on the budget.

If a community requires more technological education classes the library may not be able to

fiscally provide for the cost of having new classes in the library. In the same way, while patrons

are using technology at the library, they may have questions concerning the operation of the

equipment, how to use programs, or even how to search on a search engine. Many libraries

cannot afford to have a librarian solely designated to answer technologically based questions

their entire shift. They need librarians who can answer the questions of the patrons and do

another job within the library. This is not always possible with the budget that public libraries are

given to work with.


An issue that can occur with digitalized documents is that in most cases they require

expensive technology to access. Especially in the recent years, with the national unemployment

rising, many families are worried about finding adequate money for their bills, not thinking about

purchasing an electronic device to access electronic books. “However, it is interesting to note

that, as harsh economic times bring cuts to library budgets, it also brings patrons through its

doors at an increasing rate.” (Guarria and Wang, 2011, pg 202) The fact that the library still

provides physical copies of books, as well as many electronic books, offers equal opportunity to

access information to all income and class levels within the community. Although many libraries

offer the opportunity for their patrons to check out the technology, like e-readers, sometimes

without adequate budget or grant money and with the current levels of budget cuts within

libraries, many cannot afford to purchase the technology to loan out to the patrons. Another

aspect of loaning out e-readers is that there is not a way to return an electronic device during

nonoperational hours of the library, which may be inconvenient to patrons who normally return

physical texts after hours in drop boxes. Another problem with loaning out technology like e-

readers is that they would require IT support when being returned and prior to being loaned out.

Many libraries have found that they may need to cut their IT budgets in order to maintain a

balanced budget. (Guarria and Wang, 2011) Harris (2011) wrote that, “…smaller libraries and

those dependent on IT personnel located outside the library have a harder time adequately

addressing all of the information technology needs presented by multiple administrative software

systems, desktop maintenance and repair, updating security suites and machine images and other

work.”(55) This implies that smaller libraries have had to cut IT support from their budgets, and

are outsourcing it to other companies to do for them. This in turn means that these libraries are

struggling to maintain the technology they currently have, and may struggle to maintain new


technologies. This may make the libraries who cannot afford the new technologies feel out-of –

date to the patrons that use it.

An alternative to electronic books that is an emerging technology is the espresso book

machine. This offers libraries a new way to lend books, or possibly even sell them and also feeds

into the sense of instant gratification that comes along with electronic books. This gives patrons

the opportunities to print copies of books that may be checked out and do not have an electronic

book copy. Many libraries could digitize their collections by utilizing high definition scanners,

and then people could have access to having them printed on demand. Kenning Arlitsch (2011)

wrote of the Marriot Library in Utah who digitized their collection of historical newspapers.

Arlitsch said, “Once the newspapers were digitalized with searchable full text and additional

metadata, their contents were suddenly unlocked and they experienced more use in a few short

years than they had seen in decades (Arlitsch, 2011, 67).” Digitalizing historic documents that

may have been hard to access before, and giving the patrons the opportunity to print them in a

book form, in many cases can actually increase the usage of patrons to the library. If the library

gives them the opportunity to access previously inaccessible information, as well as giving them

the option to own the printed duplication of this work, with prices that are many times much

cheaper than going to a book store and purchasing the book brand new, the library can actually

utilize technology to attain more patrons and usage rather than being put out of business by new

digital technology. However, like books, many people think that Google will be able to attain

scanned images of the special collections from libraries all around the country. However, Peter

Brantley states that, “ineligible scans, missing pages, and image artifacts remain prevalent

enough to discourage anything but low-end reproduction” (Brantley, 2007). There is one

problem with the espresso machine itself and that is the price tag. Like most developing


technology the machine carries a heavy price tag that many libraries would not be able to afford.

Coupled with the espresso machine, libraries should also own high definition document scanners

that can make copies of documents and books to be printed. Arlitsch (2011) does say it is

possible to lease the machine instead of purchasing it outright, but many libraries do not have

this machine on the top of their budget priority lists due to budget cuts all around.

New technology has not only changed how libraries function, the material they carry, and

the formats that they carry it in, but it has also changed how librarians interact with patrons. In

most libraries today there are options to text a librarian from a mobile phone, email a librarian or

even instant message a librarian. In some cases this can remove the human contact from an

interaction which many may find necessary to communicate effectively. Librarians cannot read

the tone in a patron’s voice or see their body language as they are asked a question by a patron.

However, in many cases, patrons who may not have approached a librarian will ask questions

through a digital medium. “Some patrons, especially teens, are more comfortable texting than

speaking on a cell phone.”(Fox, 2007, 11) This illustrates that teens are more accustomed to

communicating with others using text messages as opposed to having a vocal conversation. This

increases the possibility of teens and young adults asking librarians for help with something.

They may be more likely to text or instant message a librarian rather than physically approach

one and ask. Some patrons may be shy and not want to talk to a librarian face-to-face, or they do

not want to reveal that they do not know something for fear of looking dumb. This provides a

way to reach librarians with important questions that may not be asked otherwise. If the patron

knows they have a way to effectively communicate with a librarian it may also possible increase

the likelihood of people coming back to the library repeatedly.


Libraries can also use new technology to generate innovative ways to help the people

with disabilities within their community. At the American Library Association meeting in

January 2011, there was a presentation on different, creative ways to utilize emerging technology

in libraries. One way was, “using iPads and smart phones to aid the visually impaired, people

with dyslexia, and individuals suffering from brain disorders. The smaller screens of text on

smart phones help those suffering from dyslexia read with significantly greater ease.” (Deards

and Kosturski, 2011) The fact that emerging technology can help people who struggle with

literacy due to a learning disability is ground breaking. Many people who suffer from dyslexia

get frustrated with attempting to read from an early age. If libraries can utilize smart phones and

iPads to help young children with dyslexia read with greater ease, it would be a remarkable tool

that could help them their entire lives. Libraries that implement programs like these would be

utilizing new technology to help the disabled within their communities and possible gaining

greater patronage at the same time.

Although there have been significant advancements in technology recently, libraries have

been adapting to the new technology well. “In the medium term it is clear that printed materials

and digital materials will coexist for some time to come. Printed materials will continue to be

preferred for some activities like early infant reading, for example.” (García-Marco, 2011, pg

116) Libraries will continue to collect written material while adding to their electronic book

collections for much more time to come. However, “Technological implications do affect

decisions about buying content, even if collections development processes remain

unchanged.”(Terry, 2000, pg. 55) Libraries will continue to think about the growing trend in

electronic books as they attain items for their collections. “We have a notion that if libraries stop

collection, then scholarship will stop being created and it will all disappear completely.”(46) It is


important to note that even if libraries are collecting more electronic documents and books, they

are still creating a collection that is accessible to their patrons. Many people believe that digital

documents and books will make libraries obsolete. Even if collections become more digital than

physical, libraries will still be needed to access the information for many people. Not everyone

will be able to afford the technology that is necessary to access the information, some may need

instruction for operation from librarians, and others may employ the library to borrow electronic

books. As long as libraries maintain aspects of new technology coupled with physical books the

physical books will remain relevant and coexist with electronic books. For example, coupling

quick response barcodes with physical books, or texting patrons about new additions to the

collection at their library, creates a feeling of new and exciting while still using a physical format

of information. Libraries create a sense of community and are tied to the community. Gathering

information solely online makes the patrons feel as though they have lost that sense of

community. “Many traditional services of the public library can be updated through technology

to both improve them and provide a sense of local in the vast nowhere of cyber space.”(Barnett,

202, pg. 53) As long as libraries continue to provide a sense of community, whether by the use of

their online services or their traditional services, patrons will still be drawn to the library

services.

Overall, many see the increasing dependency of people on electronic devices and files as

crippling to public libraries. However, if public libraries do not fight the changing technologies

and instead go along with them, they maintain relevance in their community and are still useful

to the people within the community. By adapting new technologies like text messaging and

social networking libraries are seen as current to young adults and teenagers. In many cases,

creating more classes for people on how to operate technology could possible increase patronage


in many libraries. Libraries who change with new technology can and will maintain pertinence in

society, and although the structure may change, the entity of the library can survive the

technological age.


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doi: 10.1002

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Public Libraries in the Digital Age - Zwieg Libr289 E ...courtneyzwieg.weebly.com/.../1/7/1/9/17199326/zwieg_20… · Web viewPublic Libraries in the Digital Age. Lib200: Section