
What Libraries Can (Still) Do - nols
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/oct/26/what-libraries-can-still-do-bibliotech/
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EliRivers
Libraries are fantastic at lending me physical books. Really, really good at
it.

I've been an avid consumer of books on my various Sony readers (I prefer them
to kindles and other brands) for most of the last decade, but as I type I have
nine physical books from the library within a few feet of me. They charge me
fifty pence to fetch it for me if they have to fetch it from some other county
library, and two and a half pounds if they have to fetch it from anywhere in
the UK and Ireland. I have six or seven books on order at the moment from the
library, and they've got two waiting for me (one of which came from the county
store, fifty pence, and one of which came from a university somewhere, two
pounds and fifty pence).

Unbeatable value for books I want to read but don't want to buy. Sometimes I
even forgo piracy for the extra convenience of having it in physical format;
novels that I read cover to cover sequentially are more convenient on the
Sony, but textbooks, reference manuals and technical guides are so much more
useful as paper. I completed a part-time degree last year and the library was
an absolute viking at getting me maths textbooks and histories from all over.

Libraries can (still) lend me books at fantastic prices.

~~~
mcshicks
I can't agree with this more. I have a library walking distance that has two
different interlibrary loan systems that can get books from local universities
and other libraries. Both are free. There are three different public library
systems within a 10 minute drive. Even if I want to buy a book, I almost
always get it from the library first. And while wikipedia and other websites
are great sources of information, they are generally not as good as a textbook
specifically written for a subject.

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design-of-homes
I think many people (myself included) underestimate just how much knowledge is
still tied up in books.

I thought I'd repeat this anecdote I previously posted on a discussion about
libraries a while ago.

A few years ago I was researching the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. I wanted
to find out about his famous housing complex called Unité d'habitation
(Housing Unit) first built in Marseille in France. I started my research
online looking for floorplans and commentary or critques. I found very little
(there is a lot more available online today, but not when I was looking).

Consider that Le Corbusier is one of the most famous architects of the 20th
century so this was a surprise. Eventually, I did find what I was looking for
by going to the library and visiting an architecture exhibition. The point of
all this is that we assume everything is mostly online and so it's our first
port of call for any research or knowledge gathering. But there is a huge
amount of information and knowledge found in books that have never made it
online. If you never go to the library, you simply won't realise what you're
missing.

~~~
panglott
Much of this is the weight of copyright restrictions. There is a ton of
material published between say 1940 and 1980, that is still under copyright
but hopelessly out of print. As physical objects, they're getting old enough
that soon they won't really be available outside library/archival settings.
It's many thousands of books per year for decades, lots of original research
and writing.

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m52go
I'm not a librarian, but as I understand it, ebook pricing is ridiculously
high right now. We need a revolution equivalent to the one brought by the
paperback book to make the ebook market relevant for institutions like
libraries (whether that's brought about by a change in production costs,
distribution, copyright, business model, or something else).

Also, I'd love to see some innovation in book discovery. Even if/when a
"paperless library" does exist, I can't imagine having to "browse" through a
search-box like some kind of autonomous pigeon-holed drone.

> Libraries are screwed because we are invested in the codex, and the codex
> has become outmoded.

So, adapt! If this is how librarians think, then they really are screwed. But
from my experience, most aren't as averse to change and doomy-and-gloomy as
this guy. There are some very creative and open-minded folks out there in
charge of librarians doing some creative things. Time will tell what will
work.

~~~
mjklin
There is a revolution. It's called Library Genesis.

Now if we could only make it legal...

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neilsharma
I recently rediscovered my local library and fell in love. There are several
libraries in my county that share a collection of books, and I can request a
book available in a different library to be fetched and held for me at the
library of my choice -- for free! Probably 90% of books in my goodreads
reading list are accessible this way.

I used to buy a few kindle books (or pirate the ones I couldn't find digital
copies of), but I found out I read both more and faster with tangible books.
And the three-week rental period (with the option to renew for up to six more
weeks) encourages me to actually finish books in a timely manner.

My library also hosts cultural shows and has a small museum -- currently there
are several pre-modern human skulls on display.

Plus, internet speeds hit 50Mbps+. Never need to go to a local coffeehouse
again.

The only odd thing about my library is how ebook rentals (3-week digital
access) can be out of stock. Don't know what kind of licensing deal they have
with publishers, but this seems pointless.

On a different note, what I've noticed is how easy platforms like this help
fight piracy:

Netflix + HBO --> fewer torrented movies/shows.

Steam/Humble Bundle/etc --> fewer illegal games.

Libraries --> fewer pirated books.

Youtube/Spotify/Pandora --> no longer need to maintain a library of illegally
procured music.

With the right combination of price, selection, accessibility, and
convenience, piracy to me has seemed less appealing over the years.

~~~
intopieces
>I can request a book available in a different library to be fetched and held
for me at the library of my choice -- for free!

I know what you mean by 'free,' but I think it's important to remember that
the services are not actually free, they depend on our tax dollars. This is
why it's important, if you love your library, to fight for its funding and to
make sure your local representatives know what a value the library is to your
community.

~~~
neilsharma
Thanks for the clarification. True, its far from free, and needs the continued
support of the citizens to continue to function.

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mjevans
Updated: Having read the article, my own opinions miss a feature of libraries
that I had forgotten existed. Human search aids that can better translate the
questions of humans in to the domain of curated information that they might
also maintain.

I am happy to see that I was mistaken in my belief that they would be talking
about just books, given their domain name.

\-- the remainder is my thoughts prior to reading the article. --

For me, it begins with asking, what is a library? If you ask any normal person
they'll start talking about books. Books are just one medium for storing,
preserving, and disseminating information. A library should be about more than
books.

A library is a temple for worship of and enlightenment through information;
for some of the very aspects that separate us from our ancient ancestors and
even more so from the other creatures that live in the ecosystems we share.

Libraries can, and should, be repositories and distribution points for
information, in all forms and medias. A library should be a well connected
hub, not just for books, but also our networks. A library is where local
content should be cached, and remote content mirrored. A library should work
/with/ local not-for-profits of all types who share the goal of spreading
education, enlightenment, and progress in the useful arts of science.

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tormeh
A library close to where my parents live have gone in a different direction,
concentrating on hosting talks.

