An Anonymous Patron writes “The Visalia Times Delta says While society becomes reliant on computers, lib-raries are still sought out by those looking for simple peace and quiet. While the number of books being checked out of Tulare County libraries has decreased, more people have been using computers at the main branch in Visalia, Deputy County Librarian Jeffrey Crosby said.
The lower circulation can be partly attributed to library hours being cut and to the trend of more people turning to the Internet for information, Crosby said. “
Give what the customer wants!
The reason for lower circulation is because more people are certainly turning to the Internet for information. But this does not necessarily mean that the information on the internet is better or worse than the traditional book/video/journal. Often information in a book/video/journal is more reliable. But considering budgetary constraints, shelf space constraints, continuing price increases of books, and the increasing number of books published, it is increasingly difficult to keep up with the internet which is exploding. This is not to say that everything on the internet is useful information. A lot of it can be, to say the least, inaccurate, unreliable, unauthorative. On the other hand, what the library can have in its collection can never be absolutely comprehensive, but more selective. What is certain is that the internet use will continue to grow due to its open nature (and this is what the customer increasingly want), while the traditional library will feel the pressures of finance and space. If the library can marry the traditional library and the internet and other upcoming technologies, then the “new” library would certainly be taking advantage of both worlds.