No More Books?

Several articles recently, have strongly suggested that libraries should forget about books and focus on digital resources. I say keep the books and the digital resources. Ebooks are awesome. You'd have to pry my Kindle out of my hands. I loved the digital review copies offered by some publishers this summer. If I need information about a topic, the Internet is my first stop. BUT...I also love books. I love to have a pile of them waiting to be read. I love to lay on the beach and read (the Kindle isn't going there!). During last winter's ice storms, I could read quite happily by firelight but I couldn't surf the web and the Kindle battery only lasts so long. So, why does it have to be an either/or situation. Why can't we have both?

The library has always been a repository of knowledge. Now it also has to be a gateway to knowledge. Libraries, particularly school libraries, have to not just offer access to digital materials, but also offer training on effective and ethical use of these materials.

This all goes back to why librarians have to be evolved. We have to be able to act as information specialists with both the print and the digital worlds. And the awesome thing is, we can!