The idea of a national digital library has been in the air for a long time, and there was a danger that some people would feel that it's their property, so to speak.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've been talking about the centrality of libraries in our information society for a while now.
We see ourselves as the world's digital library. That can be a lot more than books. We do want to expand to other types of content: sheet music, magazines, user-generated content.
What is also strange to me is that public libraries have always been in the forefront of opposing censorship.
Librarians are teaching the next generation how to use digital media responsibly.
I have encountered those who feel that libraries have served their purpose and are no longer needed. There are those who consider them a soft target when it comes to local authority budget cuts. In certain political quarters, there is a refusal to see that our public library service needs active protection.
The library is seen as a force for self improvement and the pursuit of knowledge. I fear that in many cases this is no longer true, if it ever was.
Libraries are at a cultural crossroads. Some proffer that libraries as we know them may go away altogether, ironic victims of the information age where Google has subverted Dewey decimal and researchers can access anything on a handheld device. Who needs to venture deep into the stacks when answers are but a click away?
As a big user of public libraries, I deplore the cutbacks they have had to sustain.
The way we've been neglecting to support our libraries throughout the country is a shame.
Libraries keep the records on behalf of all humanity. the unique and the absurd, the wise and the fragments of stupidity.
No opposing quotes found.