Option for Paper 3: Future of the Book
Questions to consider:
- What do you think will be the role of publications in paper format in the library of 2040?
- Will books be relegated to “museums of the book” as some refer to future libraries?
- Will expected improvements in technology be sufficient to deal with problems that now exist with viewing electronic materials?
- Are there parallels between the development of the printing press and electronic publishing that should encourage or discourage those who support a primarily paperless society?
- Are there unintended effects of the digitization of information that we can foresee and guard against?
Option for Paper 3: Library as Place
- What do you think the library of the mid to late 21st century will be like?
- What elements are important?
- What information in the Benton Foundation article would help shape your thinking on this issue?
Read the Miller article as well to help you form your ideas.
Resources:
- “Buildings, Books, and Bytes: Libraries and Communities in the Digital Age.” a report of the Benton Foundation, 1996. Available online at http://www.benton.org/publibrary/kellogg/buildings.html
- Miller, William. “The Library as Place: Tradition and Evolution.” From Library Issues, (22), 3, January 2002. Available online at http://www.libraryissues.com/pub/LI220003.asp
