This book is about that “greater purpose” of libraries rarely discussed, or even acknowledged. And no wonder. It is difficult to see the library’s higher aspects when you spend the day clearing paper jams, refereeing fights over computers, and yelling at people to quiet their cell phones. And those are the good days. On the bad days librarians spend their time defending their profession altogether, crafting counterarguments to that oft-heard phrase, “It’s all on the Internet.” From the digitization of library resources to the onslaught of web-based information, librarians are on the defensive. Many librarians worry that our print collections, along with ourselves, will soon no longer be needed. |
