Library 2.0-#15

It will be interesting to see how libraries will evolve. I think that one of the biggest changes will be caused by the seach-inside-the-book technology. Just knowing it exists has made me a more impatient reader in some ways. Often, even in fiction, I would like to have access to it. Sometimes when I'm reading, a character will reappear, and I'll want to go back and reread the part where he was introduced. Or, when it becomes clear that an earlier event is more significant than I originally thought, I want to read about it more carefully. And I find myself longing for an edit/find button. My son, when writing college papers, said that when he wanted to quote a book, would often look for an online copy of the book so that he could quickly locate the section he wished to quote.

As much as l like the feel of curling up with a good book, I am looking forward to electronic books that are more pleasing to the senses. The idea of having lots of favorite books available without the clutter of storing them is also more appealing the older I get.

The idea of printing books on demand interests me also. You want to read an obscure book by your favorite author? Here, let me have one printed for you while you wait. I hate the idea of withdrawing books just because they aren't wildly popular. We need to encourage a child's individuality and have books to interest kids who don't think like the majority. I have often ordered out of print books from another branch or system, and recieved a decrepit looking copy and been very thankful for it, because I really wanted to read that book. Following that thought further, sometimes I wish I could just print a new cover for a book, when I know that a certain book is just what a child is looking for, and they take one look at the dreary cover picture and say "No thanks, it doesn't look interesting."

But most of all, I think that libraries of the future will be more of a resource for helping people cope with the new technology. In Havre de Grace, we had people come in wanting us to program their cell phones, download their pictures and help with other types of electronic devices. I'm relatively computer saavy and my husband more so, but we are having a very frustrating time trying to get our computer back up and running. And I think that that kind of frustration, as much as the cost of some of these technologies, is what prevents people from using them. Future libraries may need to be more like the Geek Squad, troubleshooting problems with technology.