Death Knell For Libraries

For over twenty years the death knell for libraries, print books, and librarians has been continuously rung. Here we are well into the 21st century, and all three are still going strong. In the face of their so-called impending demise reference librarians are expanding the services they provide and changing the ways in which they provide them. Patrons can receive instruction on how to use new technologies, resume building, and Microsoft Office Suite, and personal finance at their local library. Additionally, they can remotely access reference services through a face to face interview, online chat, or by e-mail. Academic colleges and some public libraries offer chat services which are 24/7 for patrons and are manned by reference librarians.

The author, who has no background in library or information sciences, suggests that it makes fiscal sense to close all libraries and buy everyone an Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription (Worstall, 2014). What Worstall fails to understand, more than likely because he is not an authority on the subject of libraries, information science, or finance for that matter, is that libraries are not just buildings in which to warehouse books. Instead, they are, as Ranganathan states, living organisms. Moreover, libraries are an integral part of the community in which they are situated and provide that community with many services. A reference librarian provides one such service, and it remains as relevant, if not more so, as it has in previous centuries. The Digital Revolution has been in full swing for several decades, and we are increasingly using digital technologies in our day to day activities. At first blush, the future of reference services in libraries appears to be that it is quickly becoming obsolete. However, nothing could be further from the