Another British Library Fear
January 28, 2009
Nick Farrell’s “British Library Fears Loss of History” reminded me that libraries are struggling for relevance in a Google-centric world. You can find his Register story here. For me the most interesting comment was:
The British Library has established a department dedicated to the collection of all these digital materials which are stored on your computer in the same way that it stores books, newspapers, documents, maps, personal letters.
I find categorical affirmatives quite amusing. The UK is collecting email and mobile data. Now the British Library wants “all” of a couple of types of digital information. Right now, the only outfit in a position to capture “all” information is Google, not a country, a company.
Libraries find themselves asked to provide shelter, job hunting, and coffee shop duties. One library expressed an interest in mobile furniture and off site book storage. The idea was that users of the library did not need some books right away.
The fear is well founded. Google will allay that fear in my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, January 28, 2009
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2 Responses to “Another British Library Fear”
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But do we want to rely on a commercial organisation subject to the whims of the market to maintain access to the collected ‘wisdom’ of the digital age.
Neil Infield,
I don’t. In our fine, fine world, it seems that the wisdom of the crowd defines the wisdom of the age. One can wait for the Google to self destruct. Marking the entire Web as malware may be an encouraging signal for some.
Stephen Arnold, February 2, 2009