Cherish The Unplugged Mind
Luddites unite! Those of us who value books more than computers are facing tough times.
The Internet/CD-Rom mind-set is transforming beloved public libraries into entertainment centers, with their disappearing shelf space, computer terminals, entire book collections thrown out for being archaic, and a zeal to embrace every myth uttered about the wondrous electronic library.
In California, one disgusted library patron has filed suit against the new state-of-the-art San Francisco Public Library because it destroyed some 200,000 volumes and an entire card catalog system, which represented decades of human labor and ingenuity.
The building, touted by Newsweek as the library of the future, features soaring empty spaces and computer terminals galore. But, there is so little shelving for books that one critic declared, “That building was designed by someone who hates books. Who hates books.”
Are books an archaic concept in mainstream American culture? Surely, we are not simply succumbing to the temptation of change for change’s sake. We see the results of that in dusty microfiche readers, discarded 8-track tapes, and - dare I say it - dust-covered computers already piled in the corners of a thousand school buildings.
Granted, there are exciting opportunities on the Internet. On this 100th anniversary of the Library of Congress’s Jefferson building, some 70,000 non-book items are being made available, not just to scholars and specialists, but to everyone.
Still, I see three caution lights on the information superhighway.
While books are expensive, their cost is minimal when compared with the hardware, software, installation, training, replacements, vandalism, theft, staffing and printing required by this new phenomenon.
For example, the CD/ROM encyclopedia might seem to be cost-effective. But, only one person can use it at a time, because all the “volumes” are together.
The promotion of the electronic library has created the image of a “schoolchild doing research” as one who shouldn’t be stuck with stodgy print encyclopedias or forced to browse through the stacks and read books.
The message is that books are boring, while the data on screen, complete with bells and whistles, will produce a nation of scholars. Nonsense.
A story in Time applauded Microsoft’s $3 million grant to the Brooklyn Public Library, for Internet connection, by making the claim that “more knowledge comes down a wire than anyone could ever acquire from books.” Data, maybe. But knowledge? No.
When Thomas Jefferson donated his books for the first library, he envisioned a place for the study and exchange of ideas, a refuge for all classes of people. Today, there is a need for such a place. People who can’t afford computers and video games can hardly afford silence. In a world of noise and disorder, a place of measured thought is the province once again of the wealthy.
If we are serious about encouraging a nation of readers, we must place high value on good books and a quiet place to read them.
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