That’s the name of an article on LibraryThing today. Following up on an article by Mike Shatzkin about how bookstores will probably go away, the author feels that this may apply also to libraries.
The difference is, of course, that libraries don’t pay every time they circulate a book. Under the First Sale doctrine—the idea that you, well, own the things you own—libraries can pay once, and lend a book out multiple times.
Ebooks change this. As ebooks advance, libraries are going to lose their “First Sale” advantage. Publishers will never allow a library to “own” an ebook absolutely, just as consumers don’t really own their ebooks. Libraries are going to be renting them, in fact or in effect, and they’re going to paying a lot more to do it. They’re going to be paying for the use they get out of them, not spending what consumers spend and getting more use. (I’ve written on the economics here before, so check that out first if you disagree with me.)
As the logic takes hold, libraries will be transformed into “simple” book-subsidy machines, not the special, advantaged ones they are now. That means they’re either be forced to subscribe to fewer books, invest a lot more in their holdings or, for public libraries, convince voters to give them a lot more money. Those are bad options.
Libraries (and bookstores, for that matter) don’t have to just “go away”… but certainly they will go through major changes.
The physical parameters of them will change, since the need to store books in a physical location is largely disappearing; but the need for customer guidance and assistance will not go away, and libraries and bookstores need to rebuild their structures around that.
Once assistance is rendered, of course, consumers will download the books from that location as a convenience (in order to generate an income for the bookstore), or from their own personal services wherever they are. A central database can hold all of the e-books available for download, removing the need for libraries to even worry about actual book transactions, “rental” fees, etc.
A lot of the concern for the future of libraries stems from an inability to picture a future model of services without physical products stored at multiple physical locations. But such a model has been described by others, and is ultimately workable.
Any library system that can’t wrap its head around the new model will have a hard time surviving until they see others’ working models and adopt them. But the good news is, without the existing “big central building” model, we should see mini-libraries of essentially reference librarians in more places, more readily available to the public. Removing the physical mass of books should make providing information to the public easier and more widespread.
I read (and wrote about for this blog ages ago) an article about the revitalization of my local library system where one of the points which came up was that people seem to be view the library not so much as a ‘repository for books’ but a ‘community meeting place.’ I think this is a great description for it. Our local library does things like hold classes for newcomers on how to find materials, use the internet and computer, access resources to learn English and get jobs etc.
‘community meeting place.’
Eegad. What you are really saying is that library buildings will become day care centers. Or, worse yet, places where where illiterates go to use the computers or watch movies.
And despite Google’s claims, a great many “out sized” older books (I’m thinking of large old directories, at lases, other reference material will never be scanned and will disappear.
And you are talking abt a place of noise and tomfoolery, rather than somewhere quiet you can go to research or just read.
I’m a novelist, working to get my novels back in print as ebooks, but I still want to be able to go to the library. I realize Generation Short Attention Span finds them useless, but let them have their own places to congregate and prattle, and leave libraries as places of literacy and the pursuit of intellectual development; not places for tweeting and “community gathering”. If I may reword; Are there no coffee houses? Are there no YMCAs? Leave libraries as repositories of literature and information.
Libraries *will* be paying more? They already are. The largest costs for most academic libraries are for electronic serials, which have been eroding materials budgets for years. E-books in libraries appear to have been growing over a period of time, and will likely continue to do so.
But — is it really too late to fight to save the First Sale Doctrine?
Libraries and ebooks are already coexisting just fine, thank you very much. Many libraries offer ebooks through systems like Overdrive or have their own ebook system.
Some use the “one book/ one reader” system of check outs. Others have a special deal with the provider or publisher so that they can “loan” as many books as needed.
In most cases, the library pays for the ebook once in the same way as they pay for a paper book. The only difference is they can’t resell the ebook, but since ebooks don’t take up limited physical book shelf space, this is not a problem.
When I researched the future of libraries seven years ago for a seminar on ebooks and libraries for the state librarian association, most of the experts predicted that a library as a physical space should exist for at least another hundred years because of the lack of digitalization of older books, charts, etc.
With the current rush to scan older book now in progress, I imagine that we can cut that time considerably.
None of this means that libraries are going to vanish in our lifetimes. It just means the brick and mortar version will have to justify its existence for those cities, universities, etc. who finance them.
Right now, in some places, politicians are trying to shut down local libraries to cut cost while in other places, the locals are fiercely supportive of their libraries.
In my town, we have just finished a major renovation of the library building which is used for books, community events, job information, tax help, computer access, storytelling and other events for small kids, etc., etc. They also offer ebooks, audiobook downloads, etc.
This is in an area of the country with some of the worst unemployment, etc., in the US, but the libraries have proven they deserve their tax dollars.
What’s your real name Deran? I want to know so I can avoid ever reading a book by someone who holds other library patrons in such disdain.
Oh, wait, I found it. It’s in the dictionary under ‘curmudgeon’.
Good article and good comments….
However, being a librarian (and a big, big fan of ebooks, etc.) there’s always going to be a certain percentage of your library patronage that don’t use the library in the ways outlined above. Storytimes, summer programming, book-groups meeting during lunch….these are just a few of the service areas that are BIG and important to libraries….I worry about these groups…where will they fit in? Shouldn’t they? It’s going to tough as we all know our current version of what a library “is” is in transition….or maybe not?