Libraries

It's summer (not that you'd notice looking out upon the grey rainy sky) which means it must be time for my annual blog post. Enjoy it, revel in it. I like to think that my lack of output means that I only post when I have something really important to say, that my posts are a fine vintage, a rare and potent thing to be savoured and enjoyed, not drunk every day with a Tesco microwave curry.

Actually the truth is I'm just a lazy bastard who can't be arsed to keep this up.

However every so often, something really gets in my head, and try as I might I can't get rid of it, so I disgorge it to you now. This year, I'd like to talk about libraries. You may have heard that the legal challenge was blocked on the proposals to close/transfer to the community five libraries on the Isle of Wight. If not you can read it here:

http://t.co/fIifexH

http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/campaigners-lose-court-fight-against-libraries-closures-39843.aspx

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sad to see libraries go, however I have this feeling that, rather than the cold-hearted decision to deny the public it's service, what we're seeing is a result of a bigger issue, one that has changed the way people get information.

Can you guess what it is?

Yep that's right, it's the internet - congratulations, you've won a prize*

Well actually it's not just the internet, but the internet is a big part of it, I believe there is another reason too, but I'll come to that in a bit. There was a time, and I'm only talking about 10/15 years ago, when the internet wasn't a big thing, it was something that that the internet was a niche place, the general public didn't use it, mostly it was business and universities (that's significant - hold that in your head) using it. If your average member of the general public wanted to find something out, they toddled down to their local library and read about it in a book. These days, you want to find something, you fire up your computer/smartphone and you google it - the information is there, at your fingertips. Job done. No longer is there the need to spend a couple of hours getting to and from your library, plus another couple of hours heaving through a weighty tome trying to find out who invented the marshmallow slice.

One of the reason why I feel that the internet is considered such a fount of knowledge is the fact that when it was starting up, universities (told you it'd be important) picked it up as a way of sharing information. When I was at University in 96, I was regularly encouraged to use the internet to seek out research and share mine through it. What we, and other graduates now have locked into our head is the internet is the first step in any research. This is something we have passed onto our families and offspring so that they now believe that the internet is the first (and last) place to look. People don't even consider a library when thinking of a place to find out information.

The second reason is a far more fundamental change in the way those who read books get them. Back when libraries first started up, they provided a valuable service allowing people who could not have access to books - which were expensive items far beyond the reach of the average man or woman. These days, internet aside, books are a far more accessible option, with shops offering cheap and available books on all subjects. If your like me, you don't go to a library, rather you have built a library in your own home. Everything else you need to find out about you go to the internet for.

Libraries have tried various tactics to solve these issues, but I fear that they are fighting a battle lost long ago: free computer access is good, but computers and smartphones are now so ubiquitous and cheap most people now have it through a smartphone, which provides access for only a small monthly payment for the connection; they tried renting DVDs, just when the internet started offering cheap downloads. Ultimately, the core of their business has gone elsewhere, and no amount of encouragement is going to bring them back - information is just too freely available now.

Whilst it is sad to see them go, I believe that the time has come to let them pass into history in their current form. It's time to admit that libraries, while a great idea in their time, now have been overtaken, in the same way the internal combustion engine brought about the end of the horse and cart.

Rest in peace Libraries, you've earned it.


*You haven't won a prize**

**Apologies to James for stealing his line.