Comments on: What are Libraries For?

By: What's Next? Library metamorphosis » Blog Archive » So Now What? My Librarian Future…

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:07:36 +0000

[...] Here is another interesting article on the same subject: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/what-are-libraries-for/ [...]

By: Libraries and the digital future | Binding Obsession

Libraries and the digital future | Binding Obsession — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:34:44 +0000

[...] Perhaps most importantly, libraries provide our society with intangible benefits. It’s this point that makes those of us who love libraries so very passionate, but it is also the most difficult point to definitively express and therefore to argue to nonbelievers. Still, whether or not access to information is truly a human right, I believe that we have a moral obligation to provide it—and to provide it freely to all. LibriVox creator Hugh McGwuire asserts that community libraries serve four purposes: [...]

By: To Infinity and Beyond! | Leabharlann

To Infinity and Beyond! | Leabharlann — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:57:58 +0000

[...] McGuire, H. (2011). What are libraries for? [Weblog] In the Library with the Leadpipe. Retrieved from: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/what-are-libraries-for/ [...]

By: The Attack on Libraries and Print Continues | USF Libraries Faculty & Staff Newsletter

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:15:37 +0000

[...] McGuire asks in his blog post, "What are Libraries For" as he predicts that e-books will be the dominant form of casual reading for adults in the [...]

By: Saving school libraries and strategic planning presentations – the readings | halfpintofwisdom

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:17:54 +0000

[...] into this thought process was Hugh McGuire’s post which asked the question What are libraries for? He directs his question at public libraries, and the answers he puts forward may not translate [...]

By: What are libraries for? | halfpintofwisdom

What are libraries for? | halfpintofwisdom — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 05:27:39 +0000

[...] arguments about the way in which libraries should seek to find their future. In his post What are libraries for? he suggests that we need to know what we are for, rather that what we do. He further argues that [...]

By: Leigh Anne

Leigh Anne — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:38:46 +0000

Actually, no – there are other reasons to disagree with this post. Your statement is a perfect example of how the dominant discourse automatically dismisses criticism out of hand by making an ad hominem argument about the critic.

By: It’s the Space, Stupid. « librarianunafraid

It’s the Space, Stupid. « librarianunafraid — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:09:57 +0000

[...] fear, but react to that fear in such different ways. There was a really interesting article on In the Library with the Leadpipe. The crux of it was that most books will be available for free or near to free in the very near [...]

By: Hugh McGuire

Hugh McGuire — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:50:13 +0000

Hi Suzi, Well the response has been various:

1. you are wrong! ebooks won’t replace books!
1.a you are wrong! ebooks won’t be free or near-free!
2. you are right! huzzah for your article!
3. you are insulting! we already do all this!

Or,
a) we don’t need to change!
b) yes, we need to change!
c) we already have changed!

I suspect this reflects a wide difference in how different libraries/librarians approach their tasks.

But as I said above in the comment thread: my experience is that the largest part of library budget goes to books: purchasing, cataloging, circulating, storing, displaying.

But what happens if print books really go away (and ebooks become free or close to free?) What does a library do? Something drastic, surely.

It’s up to librarians to figure out what. So … what is the answer? Or rather, what is the process to get to the answer?

By: tom hobbs

tom hobbs — Sun, 08 May 2011 06:34:32 +0000

Libraries came into existence centuaries ago to facilitate the dissemination to more people, by use of new technologies, at a lower cost.
Over the last several entuaries technologies changed slowly. Now they do not. With the merging of tv and computer technologies 2 years ago the rate of change of techologies will increase.
Libraries can best survive by continually adopting new (and expensive) technologies for their users.
They increase their use by focussing on technologies that support their use as a community meeting place for the exchange of new ideas and solving community problems.
Their utility to loan books and read magazines will pass in the near future.
They need to be at the leading edge of new technology use until the average person can afford it.