U.S. Public Libraries and Digital Libraries Will mass digitization of books and free online access to digital libraries spell the end of the public library?

Overview Changes in the public library in the past 100 years Three important digital libraries Future of public libraries and digital libraries

The End is Near! Vannevar Bush: envisioned the “memex” -- mechanized private library, could render the traditional library obsolete (1945) “The book is dead.” The last book will be published by the end of the 20th century. --Marshall McLuhan (1960) Computers will displace “our book-centered communal memory.” -- James Thompson (1982) Libraries will diminish in importance with the rise of cyberspace. --Charles Martell (2003)

History By mid-20th century: Public libraries were adding new forms of media to their collections: 1940s: audio recordings were the first non-print materials. By 1968, 40% of libraries offered record collections. 1950s: filmstrips appeared in libraries following WWII, mostly used by organizations and schools. 1980s: with advent of the VCR, videos helped boost circulation numbers for libraries, eventually added DVD collections. 1980s: libraries began to offer CD-ROM technology and software to their circulation.

History Why is this significant? Libraries saying “We aren’t just about books.” Libraries adapt to the wants, needs of their patrons. Goal is to educate, regardless of the type of media. Study by American Library Association found a 13% rise in the use of CDs, videos, and computer software between 2002 and 2005.

History Rise of digital information in libraries: 1966: MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) -- Program for cataloging digital bibliographic records. Created a standard for communication between libraries 1967: ODLC (Online College Library Center) brought libraries together under one database. Went online in Foundation for the interlibrary loan system. 1980s: Database queries, usually left to the librarians, opened up to library patrons with the rise of the Internet. 1994: 20% of public libraries connected to the Internet 2002: 98% connected to the Internet

Digital Libraries: Three Examples 1. Project Gutenberg 2. Open Content Alliance (Open Library) 3. Google Book Search Library Project

Project Gutenberg Began in 1971 by Michael Hart Oldest digital library Only scans books in the public domain Currently offers more than 21,000 books Major goal: to offer e-books in as many formats as possible (plain text, html, pdf, etc.)

Google Book Search Library Project Announced October 2004 Partners with 18 libraries, including New York Public Library By March 2007: digitized one million books Scans public domain and copyrighted books. Copyright holders can then “opt out” of project. Search engine only shows “snippets” of copyrighted works. Google claims this falls under fair use. Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers have filed lawsuits

Open Content Alliance Formed in 2005 Digitizing selected works from more than 80 libraries Includes Boston and San Francisco Public Libraries Scans copyrighted books, but only after permission from copyright holder (“opt in”) Also, plans underway to unify catalog data for all the books in the world

Disadvantages of Digital Libraries Copyright  Copyright laws severely limit what is available. If you want to read the latest Harry Potter for free (and legally), you still have to get it through the library. Only 15 percent of all books are in the public domain.

Disadvantages of Digital Libraries Not everyone has Internet access 65% of the U.S. population are Internet users Of all U.S. households, 64% are online -- eMarketer (2007) Public libraries help fill the need for access to computers and the Internet.

Disadvantages of Digital Libraries Not everyone has a computer (cont.) 2002 Gates Foundation study: Library computer users are much less likely to have home computers than average users Half of adult library computer users report annual household incomes of less than $25,000

Disadvantages of Digital Libraries Mobility People don’t want to be tethered to their home computers or laptops in order to read e-books. Smartphones, PDAs, and e-book readers can solve the problem of mobility, but …

Disadvantages of Digital Libraries Mobility (cont.) Most readers find current e-book formats for mobile devices unattractive study of book groups Participants were given handheld e-book readers for three months. Vast majority of respondents found e-book text difficult to read. Many found e-books less appealing by the end of the experiment.

The Future — Digital Libraries Internet will expand into more households, giving more people access from home. E-book readers will improve. New technology (e Ink) makes text easier to read. Examples: Sony PRS 505, Amazon Kindle Younger generations will be less emotionally attached to print. Copyright will remain a hurdle.

The Future of Public Libraries Libraries will offer downloadable material: Library2go: Partnership between Oregon libraries. Provides downloadable audio books through a free software program. At the end of a 10-day rental, the DRM-protected audio book “expires.” eNYPL Mobipicket eBooks: Patrons can download ebooks, audio books, music, and video, also DRM- protected.

The Future of Public Libraries Libraries will be hybrid environments: combining old media and new media Architecture: libraries will move from a “warehouse for shelves” to places where people gather, congregate. Librarians play important roles as experts at finding the exact information you need. Online chat assistance? Public libraries don’t exist in a vacuum