What's the future of the library in the age of Google?

Townhall: The end of books and libraries? Digital technology is changing the way we store information, and how we learn from it. Does it make sense to stack printed books in costly buildings when virtual libraries are just a mouse-click away? Join special guest host Peter Mansbridge, along with the staff and students of the digital humanities program live from...

CBC Radio · Posted: Sep 28, 2014 12:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: November 10, 2014

Charles Rennie Mackinstosh Library, Glasgow, Scotland (Credit: Wikimedia Commons )

Townhall: The end of books and libraries?

Digital technology is changing the way we store information, and how we learn from it.
Does it make sense to stack printed books in costly buildings when virtual libraries are just a mouse-click away?

Join special guest host Peter Mansbridge, along with the staff and students of the digital humanities program live from the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus, for peek into the future of libraries and learning.

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Introduction

At the turn of the last century when philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was funding public libraries around the world, he believed they were the key to advancement, that they would help people, through knowledge, to better themselves. Many agreed with him and public libraries have become important symbols in many a small town ...and significant attractions in many a large city.

But times are changing and never more apparent than now. Many of those libraries are still in use and no longer adequate for the needs of the communities. Is the answer to build newer bigger libraries or start thinking in whole new ways about how to connect people to the information they need?

We are coming to you from the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus. This is a new university campus that has no library but students are plugged-in to a wider information network.

Digital technology is rapidly changing the way we gather, store, and disseminate information ...and that includes the historical record of our culture and civilization. It is also changing the way we learn from it. Libraries have always had a central place in storing and sharing this precious legacy ...but libraries are changing.

It might mean your local library will no longer be local ...but still accessible far away with the click of a mouse. It might mean your local library becomes even more important as meeting place and a portal, offering access to much larger digital resources.

We want to know what you think?

Do you need a better local library, or more access to a global network ...or both. Perhaps you find that reading online, downloading e-books, and consulting Google gives you all the information you need.

Our question today: "What's the future of the library in the age of Google?"

I'm Peter Mansbridge ...on CBC Radio One ...and on Sirius XM, satellite radio channel 169 ...this is Cross Country Checkup.

Guests Onstage

Christine McWebb
Director of the international digital humanities project MARGOT and Director of Academic Programs at the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus.