Libraries in the Digital Age

 

By John MacLeod

In order to keep up with the times, libraries have changed by including many forms of digital resources such as streaming services, audiobooks, and access to the internet to name a few. According to “Fact or Fiction? Libraries can thrive in the Digital Age” by Christopher Harris, “Digital is the future of information because it is faster, easier, more connected, and more flexible.” Since libraries are the advocates for access to free information, they naturally have to follow suit in order to appease their patrons and stay relevant. The article highlights the development of other forms of media such as how at first audiophiles were unhappy with the reduction of quality because of the file format used to play the music on an iPod (Harris).

Libraries are no longer just a place for a community to pick up a book and learn. In the digital age, many libraries, especially academic libraries, are trying to focus on knowledge management (Mabunda). Knowledge management can be defined as “a practice, strategy, and process for identifying, creating, storing, and applying the knowledge or lessons learned from the individual experience in a particular organization,” (Mabunda). Whereas libraries were once seen as buildings that housed books for knowledge, now they are seen as a place where knowledge and information is managed and shared regardless of medium.

The 2020 pandemic was a major shift in the world, libraries included. Libraries were actually pressured to move more online once the lockdown because “some libraries saw 600% or 700% rise in reader registrations over lockdown,” (Wood). With so many new users, some libraries were forced into updating their technology, emphasizing libraries have a place in the digital age. For example, A library explained, “The pandemic had accelerated its use of tech by 10 years--they couldn't get the budget or provision, but suddenly they had all this online content,” (Wood). The fast-paced innovations and upgrades to libraries during the pandemic are a testament to how resilient and necessary libraries are even in the digital age.

Work Cited

Harris, Christopher. “Fact or Fiction? Libraries Can Thrive in the Digital Age.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 96, no. 3, 2014, pp. 20–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24375938. Accessed 16 May 2023.

Mabunda, Tiyani Tyson, and Tanya Du Plessis. “Employees’ Perception of Knowledge Management in Academic Libraries in the Digital Age.” South African Journal of Library and Information Science, vol. 88, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1–11, https://doi.org/10.7553/88-1-2057.

Wood, Heloise. "Libraries seek assurances after lockdown successes in connecting with readers: After innovating in lockdown to remain connected with readers, in many instances upping their digital offer, libraries are hoping for more support from councils going forward." The Bookseller, no. 5941, 3 Sept. 2021, pp. 6+. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A674425268/LitRC?u=cclc_palomar&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=5d5afc33. Accessed 15 May 2023.