The future of libraries is definitely changing. I can see why people like to take their questions to the web instead of to the library. At the library it may take time to get books or other information. I help people on a daily basis navigate the web or locate books or movies but my help isn't always immediate. And it isn't anonymous. Sometimes people don't want to face someone and ask for information about personal or embarrassing topics. I don't share anything about my patrons. What happens at the library, stays at the library. Sometimes I feel a little voyeuristic because I know who is on a diet and who is expecting and who is having trouble with their teens and on and on and on. On the web, these patrons would not even have to face one person with their problems.
Working here at the library I meet people when they are vulnerable. Sometimes they come in really needing help. We have lots of patrons these days that are job searching or applying for unemployment. I've helped patrons do on-line banking and purchasing because a computers and websites are hard to navigate. It is very special that they trust me with some of their personal information and I only have a couple of years computer experience on them. I used the internet for the first time at the library where the librarian showed me how to go on-line and how to get an e-mail. Now I have five e-mails and have registered on so many sites I can't keep track of them all. Anyway, the library is a safe place for people to come for people who need help and don't know where else to find it. And as technology increases, there will always be those that lag behind. The library may adapt but it can always be a place to go for some personal help finding what is needed.I also doubt that people will completely give up print media. Sales of fiction is currently rising. With all the choices for entertainment, people are still choosing to read and read old-fashioned books. They are my preference.
