Libraries vs. the Internet

The growth of the Internet has caused many people to question the role of libraries in the search for information. People remember libraries from when they were children, full of books and librarians shushing you if you talk. Today's libraries are very different. They are no longer quiet places where you can get a book for your research but dynamic centers of learning where you can get up to the minute information on a variety of topics. And one place for information librarians use and recommend is the Internet.

It is impossible to do research without the Internet. In 2001 I started working in an academic library and I had a group of graduate students from the college of education come in looking for journal articles. I pointed them to the computers and told them they needed to get online. They insisted they were not allowed to use the Internet. This was a problem because everything in an academic library that has to do with research is on the Internet! I asked them if they were looking for articles, they said yes so I told them they HAD to use the Internet. I showed them how to search the databases and how to find the journals from the databases in the catalog. The real frustration for me though, came when the students found their articles full text online but wanted the paper copy of that same article. I pointed out that they could print the article for free from the Internet or pay ten cents a page to photocopy the article. They still went and found the paper copy and paid for the photocopies because they COULD NOT USE THE INTERNET!

Libraries facilitate the ability of people to locate information no matter where it is. They are places that have knowledgeable people and resources available that can speed up the research process. With the recession we are in now, we need libraries because of their role as facilitators. Public library usage is up and the Internet is a big part of it. Librarians don't see the Internet as a competitor but as a partner that makes their jobs easier.