In 2001, American Libraries published Mark Herring’s “10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library.” The article, a celebration of the importance of physical libraries in a digital age, was a hit.
It hasn’t aged well.
Yesterday BoingBoing published a photo of a poster made from that list, and the commentary is, well, not kind. And with a decade of perspective, much of the criticism is valid—even though we published an updated “10 Reasons” last year.
Still, we stand by the basic premise: Regardless of technology, libraries play an important role in society and always will.
So, as National Library Week comes to a close, let’s turn it over to AL readers: What are your most important ways that the library remains valuable today? Share your wisdom in the comments.