Storing Text O’Donnell and Libraries
The organization systems of materials and methodology within the library maybe what is needed in the virtual library in order to “exhibit a modern … arrangement, placing objective truth at the centre of the collection and organizing everything else around it not for beauty but for utility” (O’Donnell). The written word has power that we have learned through past experiences demands respect. I don’t see the demise of public libraries but a transformation that assists in defining where and how we live our daily lives. They can still be tweaked to remain a viable mainstay of our society as central gathering places within communities. We have lost other community gathering places like the post office and the corner store. And while we can ‘meet’ online, we still crave face to face experiences in a comfortable, family friendly environment (other than a bar) to satisfy our social requirements.
Knowledge is not solely absorbed in isolation by the reading of words. The “idea of the totality of our culture can in some way be incorporated in a library” (O’Donnell) is not the desired outcome. Public libraries are meant to be inclusive of all ages, all financial, social and religious status. The sign overtop the entrance to the library of my youth said ‘Free Public’ which to me meant Welcome All.
The library also incorporates exclusivity as O’Donnell states; “its discerning judgment that keeps out as many things as it keeps in” is a key attribute. If as O’Donnell mentions in Avatars of the word. From Papyrus to Cyberspace we will be in need of ‘data archaeologists” (O’Donnell, 1998), libraries may find themselves taking on this new role. Brand in Escaping the digital Dark Age provides us with examples of how the preservation of our past and even present information can be addressed. There were no competitions between libraries; they work in unison as a global team. The demise of libraries as we know them today will happen if we continue with such a defeatist attitude.
When O’Donnell states“…not asking what computers can do in and for our old institutions; … means asking what needs doing, and then looking with a clear unprejudiced eye for the best way of doing it” (O’Donnell). This holds true for all our institutions. Joining forces in a creative collaborative venture could see their value move users away from solely relying on the Internet in search of safe, quality knowledge investigation. Emerging technology could see a future whereby library users reserve access (make a date) with an original document held across the globe in another institution. A robot could be programed to turn the page at the users command.
Brand, S., & Sanders, T. (1999). Escaping the digital dark age. Library Journal, 124(2), 46-48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/196797474?accountid=14656
O’Donnell, J. J. (n. d.) The Virtual Library: An idea whose time has passed. University of Pennsylvania. http://web.archive.org/web/20070204034556/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/virtual.html
O’Donnell, J.J. Avatars of the word: From papyrus to cyberspace. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.