Blog December Day 4 - It's the end of the (library) world as we know it - and I feel fine!

This morning I was going through my RSS feeds and came across a post from the What's Next: Top Trends blog which showed an extinction timeline.

According to this timeline by 2019 libraries will be extinct.

Of course, this is not the first time we as library professionals have heard/read/talked about the demise of libraries, but honestly, I'm a bit over it all.

If I had a dollar for everytime I've been introduced to someone as a librarian and they have said to me - well with eBooks libraries aren't going to be around anymore.  Prior to that it was - well with Google libraries aren't going to be around anymore.  The same can be said with any major technological change that impacts on what libraries do and how we do it.

Well sorry everyone but libraries are bloody good at taking advantage of these changes and running with them.

However, I must stop and make comment based on my own library community.  While some libraries have found that their members are ready to jump on the eBook wagon and embrace eReaders, tablets and iPads - I find that my own library community are still embracing the print book and traditional library services.

You may say, but Sharon, they may be ready but may not be coming into the library.  All those with eReaders and tablets may be buying online and satisfying their information needs in a different manner than walking into the physical library.  That may well be but in the four years I've been working in my library community, I have not noticed people not coming into the library - in fact I would say more are coming into the library. 

I have had a handful of people ask about eBooks because they have purchased a Kindle - and guess what??  While they purchase eBooks via Amazon, they also continue to borrow print books!!

So while we may often get caught up in the doom and gloom of possible extinction - I think there is still something to say with the traditional services we provide - they are still relevant.  And I actually think that in the future there will be a move away from technology and people will be wanting to get back to basics.  Or we may even be forced to turn away from technology due to economic or environmental reasons.

I know this might be a little bit left of centre but one of the more successful shops in our little town of Bellingen is the Bellingen Sweet Shop.  And guess what?  It is set up in the old fashioned traditional way the sweet shops used to be and you can also purchase the sweets you used to buy as a child those many years ago.

So my bet is that in 2019, there will still be libraries and there will still be print books and traditional library services!!