Since the Internet first made its appearance some twenty years ago, libraries have been forced to undergo many changes, becoming much more than buildings that hold endless shelves of books. These changes have helped to retain and attract many library goers, a tradition that is being celebrated in February with Library Lovers Month.
“A library is a place where knowledge resides, and that can be in any format,” said Reference and Instructional Librarian Stella Herzig. “The library for Ambrose students is not only a resource of basic information they may need to fulfill assignments, but it’s also a place where the knowledge of the world is available to them whether they need it or not.”
But for many college students, time studying is spent in the dorm room. Because technology has made it easy to access information online, students like junior Kathryn Brown spend a limited amount of time hitting the books at the local library.
“I don’t spend very much time at the library on campus. Most of the resources that they offer that are regularly useful to me are available online through their website,” Brown said.
And this is the issue that many libraries are facing. According to a national survey conducted in the United Kingdom, approximately 200 libraries were lost last year. One of the primary reasons may be the immense reduction in library attendance.
For many, libraries simply aren’t a place to kill time or check out a good book, but rather a center to access information they would otherwise go without. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, only 74.2 percent of households had some sort of Internet access. For those that do not, libraries remain key.
As for the presence of the Internet, Herzig believes it has only enhanced the position of the library in modern society.
“The Internet has been a good thing,” Herzig said. “I don’t see why more information that is easier to get is ever a threat.”
Although economic times are tough, Herzig remains confident that libraries will persist for years to come.
“If our society is becoming more and more unequal, if we get rid of the community place that allows people to go up the rungs, they’ll never get out,” Herzig said. “Libraries really are a bastion of democracy.”