We often hear that libraries are losing relevance in the Internet Age; we have users and funders who say, “why do we need libraries – can’t you find most everything online?” While the web has made an incredible amount of information available at our fingertips, libraries continue to play a vital role in communities, both guiding users to find the most useful information and in providing those without Internet access a lifeline to information.
A colleague recently shared this short documentary, Why Libraries Matter that depicts a day in the life of the New York Public Library. While certainly showing a public library perspective, many of these issues translate to academic libraries as well.
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Excellent video. The focus on the wide range of services provided by the NYPL was impressive. I was particularly struck by the portrayal of how the library provided services that otherwise might not be available, or exist at all, for many people. Public libraries now are put in a position of trying to fill the void left by large scale cutbacks in public education and social services. I do wish that the video had mentioned the incredible and massive archival collections the NYPL makes available to the public, a service provided almost exclusively by libraries. Overall, the documentary very effectively made the point that public libraries are fundamental to any democratic system. If everyone has to pay for knowledge, only those who can afford it will be be able to develop intellectually.