Libraries

[Peter Morville]

I'm very pleased that my article/chapter about the future of libraries has provoked thought and discussion. Just so the quote "nobody uses the library anymore" isn't taken out of context, I'm including (below) the first three paragraphs. I find it hard to imagine how one could read that and not realize it's about the future (and that I'm using humor and hyperbole to draw attention to serious concerns). Finally, if you read the whole article, I hope you'll see how much the author cares about libraries. Cheers!

Peter Morville
President, Semantic Studios
http://semanticstudios.com/
http://findability.org/

---

Inspiration Architecture: The Future of Libraries

http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000664.php

Adapted from a chapter that I wrote for Library 2020, a book edited by Joseph Janes and published by Rowman & Littlefield (in press).

The library in 2020 is the last bastion of truth. Sure, you can search yottabytes of free data by simply batting an eyelash. But it's dangerous to believe what you see through the iGlass lens. As you learned the hard way back in the Facebook era, if you're not paying for it, you are the product. That research study about the safety and efficacy of Lipitor Lollipops™ was sponsored by a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Pfizer. That consultant you almost hired wrote his own customer reviews. And while you can't tell for sure because the algorithms are opaque, it sure seems like the first page of web search is pay-to-play. You routinely skip past the top ten results.

Unfortunately, this state of corruption isn't limited to the Web. Politicians are in the pocket of lobbyists. Doctors push pills for profit. Teachers and bank clerks work on commission. And journalists? Well, they don't really exist. And neither does evolution, climate change, or Newton's Law of Gravity.

Polarization was solved by personalization. Now, people learn their own truths. We should have known back in 2015, when the ratio of adults who believe "God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years" hit 51 percent, that we had passed a tipping point. At least we're not burning witches at the stake, except in Texas, which doesn't really count...




On Feb 28, 2013, at 8:08 PM, Michael wrote:

> Thanks, Joseph.. In the book, I don't know if anyone would confuse the
> message with current times, or a future projection idea.. for any
> standalone postings (blogs, Web sites, etc.) of such materials for the
> 2020 book, I'd think a disclaimer or clarifying remark would be nice,
> and justifiable. I think particularly that those contemporary library
> world figures (your authors) would not want any reader to think they
> believe "nobody uses the library anymore"...
> 
> My $.02
> 
> *speaking only for himself*
> Michael aka DrWeb | E-mail: DrWeb2 at gmail.com | Twitter: @DrWeb2
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Joseph Janes <jwj at uw.edu> wrote:
>> I feel as though I ought to jump in here; Peter wrote that for a book I'm
>> editing which asked a pretty wide group of people to write similar short
>> pieces finishing the sentence "The library in 2020 will..."  So it's
>> partially my fault.
>> 
>> It's being published by Rowman & Littlefield this summer, and it's got quite
>> a cast of characters, from all walks of the library world, new and seasoned
>> professionals, names you know and some you don't (I won't name drop here,
>> 'cause I'll leave important people out--rest assured it's a great group).
>> These are provocative, and fascinating, and uncomfortable, and
>> inspirational, and depressing, and hopeful, and more.  Peter asked if he
>> could post his in advance on his web site, which I was happy to accommodate.
>> 
>> Think of Peter's piece as something to whet your appetites.  :-)  Joe
>> 
>> 
>> Joseph Janes
>> Chair, MLIS Program
>> University of Washington Information School
>> jwj at uw.edu
>> 
>> [remainder snipped]
> 
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2013-03-01