New on the shelf: Are Libraries Obsolete?

Are Libraries Obsolete?: An Argument for Relevance in the Digital Age Mark Y. Herring

About the Book
The digital age has transformed information access in ways that few ever dreamed. But the afterclap of our digital wonders has left libraries reeling as they are no longer the chief contender in information delivery.

The author gives both sides--the web aficionados, some of them unhinged, and the traditional librarians, some blinkered--a fair hearing but misconceptions abound. Internet be-all and end-all enthusiasts are no more useful than librarians who urge fellow professionals to be all things to all people. The American Library Association, wildly democratic at its best and worst, appears schizophrenic on the issue, unhelpfully. "My effort here," says the author, "is to talk about the elephant in the room."

Are libraries obsolete? No! concludes the author (also). The book explores how libraries and librarians must and certainly can continue to be relevant, vibrant and enduring.

Contents: Everything is still not on the Internet -- Searching the Web -- Quality control, or lack thereof -- Rotting from within? -- En masse : mass digitization -- Copyright -- Ebooks über alles? -- Depth and ubiquity -- Reading and literacy -- Privacy -- Piracy -- You are here -- Are libraries obsolete after all? : two scenarios -- Epilogue: reviving the spirit of Andrew

On the same shelf:

• How a Loss of Libraries Reflects Society
• Developing Humanities Collections in the Digital Age: Exploring Humanities Faculty Engagement with Electronic and Print Resources, by Sarah Buck Kachaluba, Jessica Evans Brady, and Jessica Critten 
• Who Says Libraries Are Going Extinct? 
• Why you should support your local library (infographic) -- The infographic from StateStats list reasons why public libraries are more important than even in local communities. The visual is backed with figures main