Bibliotech

Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google

By: John Palfrey

Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli

Libraries today are more important than ever. More than just book repositories, libraries can become bulwarks against some of the most crucial challenges of our age: unequal access to education, jobs, and information.

In BiblioTech, educator and technology expert John Palfrey argues that anyone seeking to participate in the 21st century needs to understand how to find and use the vast stores of information available online. And libraries, which play a crucial role in making these skills and information available, are at risk. In order to survive our rapidly modernizing world and dwindling government funding, libraries must make the transition to a digital future as soon as possible - by digitizing print material and ensuring that born-digital material is publicly available online.

Not all of these changes will be easy for libraries to implement. But as Palfrey boldly argues, these modifications are vital if we hope to save libraries and, through them, the American democratic ideal.

©2015 John Palfrey (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A significant wake-up call to increase citizens' access to knowledge and culture, which requires both public awareness and financial support." ( Kirkus)

A Bit Too Much True Believe

As a local library commissioner, I was looking forward to reading this book. It promised to tell me how libraries should adapt and change for the digital age while remaining true to the purpose. The author has done a lot in terms of libraries and in bringing forward what is needed for the digital challenge faced by libraries today. But I got more of a sense of a book by a true believer pontificating to like-minded individuals than to setting forth a well-reasoned proposal for action. Mr. Plafrey has done a lot of great things since getting involved with libraries and the Digital Public Library of America. But as a local library commissioner I could not find a good clear path forward to whatever his ultimate vision is. I was left with the feeling that whatever truths existed here in 2015 when the book was published, by 2020 the digital world had passed it by.