News Report #5

“10 Reasons Why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library”
Mark Y. Herring
3/10/08
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/resources/selectedarticles/10reasonswhy.cfm

A lot of people are beginning to think that the Internet is replacing libraries; however, this article attempts to remind people of the services that a library offers that the Internet cannot offer. It is a well known fact that reading test scores among school children nationwide are below ideal levels and with the introduction of the Internet to our everyday lives this will only build upon the current problem and making it worse in the future. While the Internet does have its place, it does lack the following qualities.

1. Not everything is on the Internet. There are over one billion web pages which may seem like a lot of information as it is, but the quality is lacking immensely. Only about 8% of all journals are on the web and even fewer books. These journals cost enormous amounts of money to acquire and will likely never be available on the web.
2. The Needle in the Haystack. The article states that “the Internet is like a vast uncatalogued library”. Search engines have a particular index encrypted into their design. So while you think that Google may have all the answers you need, Yahoo might have a website that is perfect for your search but you may not have thought to look there. More importantly, this information that can be found on the web is likely to be out of date and irrelevant to current issues.
3. Quality control doesn’t exist. Anyone has access to post information on the web. (Enough said in my opinion.) There is probably more "garbage" than worthwhile material on the web. A sixth grader can learn how to build a bomb in his kitchen just be clicking a few buttons. ..scary.
4. What you don’t know really does hurt you. Journals can be published online but often you find isn’t complete. Full text articles are rare and tables, charts and graphs may be missing or distorted.
5. States can now buy one book and distribute to every library on the web-NOT! Luckily, vendors who deliver e-books only allow one digitized copy per library. So if someone checks out the online book, someone else can’t check it out until it is returned. This maintains the integrity of the book and the copyright that comes along with it.
6. You Forgot about E-book Readers. The Amazon Kindle is a great idea in theory. But when actually used for reading books, many people suffer from eye-strain and headaches. Most people prefer to read from a physical book than read online or from a screen.
7. Aren’t there library-less universities now? The most recently build university in California began its operations without a library and soon they found themselves buying books in the tens of thousands because the Internet does not have all the answers!
8. What about a virtual state library? The costs associated with digitized all the printed material written is ridiculously high and would bankrupt a state. A figure given in the article states that in order to virtualize a medium-sized library of 400,000 volumes would cost ONE TRILLION DOLLARS! A few consequences to think about are what do you do with all the material after it has been digitized, throw it away? What do you do if the power goes out? Very legitimate points, in my opinion.
9. The Internet: A mile wide, an inch deep. Not much information on the Internet is over 15 years old! A very good point as to why libraries are so important. How can you do a proper research paper on a history topic when the information you find online is only from 1993?!?
10. The Internet is ubiquitous but books are portable. In a recent survey done of those who like to buy electronic books online, more than 80% said they like buying paper books over the Internet. Books will never disappear because of the relaxation and escape that they offer to readers. You can’t escape with a computer sitting on your lap while curled up next to the fire; it is better accomplished with a simple paper book.

I think this article is really interesting and does a great job highlighting the assets of libraries. Some of the points I found most striking was number ten. I travel a lot and lugging a laptop around with me, worrying about the battery running low, finding an outlet, waiting to turn on the computer once we are 10,000 feet above ground, etc. makes the thought of reading on my computer an unpleasant one. I would prefer to carry a lightweight book that transports easily and does not require any additional electronic resources. Also, point nine is an excellent argument and should legitimize this argument any day. History is important for the future and using online sources created in the 1990s cannot be trusted to accurately portray historical information. Furthermore, topic three is a very scary realistic feature of the Internet. There are suicide assistance websites out there!!! That should wake up any parent whose child is surfing the web. Anybody who questions the importance of libraries should read this article.