Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?
The trend began, naturally, with engineers, when Kansas State University’s engineering library went primarily bookless in 2000. Last year, Stanford University pruned all but 10,000 printed volumes from its new engineering library, making more room for large tables and study areas. And the University of Texas at San Antonio ditched print in lieu of electronic material when it renovated its engineering library in 2010.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2079800,00.html
Books do not (necessarily) a “library” make
There were libraries before the format we call “books” existed. According to Webster, a library is:
a : a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale
– or-
b : a collection of such materials
I once worked in a news library. The library contained photographs, maps, PCs, clipping files, microfilm and a very small and concise collection of reference “books.” The staff maintained image and text databases. It was (and is) still a library.
Libraries are places, real and virtual, where materials can be accessed, used and shared. The rise of new formats and the resulting diminution of “books” in library collections may be shocking to some, but things change and librarians must offer what the public wants and needs. It’s not just about books…it’s about materials (including books).