I think that like it or hate it the digital format is here to stay and it is the future of all media. Sooner or later we will be digesting all media on some form of digital viewer be it a iPhone or Kindle knock-off or a netbook. I think that if librarians were smart they would look into ways to make these things available, but it would require a standardized format.

Indeed, your question about the role of libraries is one I think that deserves a great deal of attention. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is possible to answer it. I for one would not consider any eBook platform (Kindle, Sony, Mobipocket…) to be perfect if it was not supported by libraries. Unfortunately, the drivers of this technology are the least likely entities to advance the position of public libraries. Amazon and Sony manufacture the devices to fit the specifications of the content model they believe holds the most opportunity (for them). Remember, Jeff Bezos at Amazon said himself that the Kindle is a service, not a device (Then what the hell is this $400 item I just purchased, you might ask?) That service does not have room for public libraries at the present, and it is quite likely that while Amazon are at the helm, they will not.

But, if libraries are going to remain pertinent in the next thousand years, they’re going to have to be a part of the content model somehow. The library of the future (in my opinion) will be equipped with a vast number of digital resources and will be technically equipped for patrons to assemble numerous items for digital access. Doing research? Not only can you browse the library website to find out what is in the collection, and use simple account tools to reserve materials, you can instantly acquire materials from anywhere in an accessible format for any device. All libraries can serve as agents of the Library of Congress or some other entity in making the entirety of published writing available to any library patron. The device should be smart enough to know if a text is public domain or under copyright, and if a work is public domain, it has an unlimited period of access. Others would terminate (be encrypted) after the return date (or something, I too am just running with this). Already many libraries have digital assets available, they just don’t work on these devices. The devices would be much better if they had the ability to link to your library account in addition to Amazon or Google or other markets. But right now this is science fiction. In fact, Kindle is only wirelessly enabled with Whispernet. It doesn’t even permit normal 802.11 wireless. This has to change soon if the platform is going to mature.

I wrote this thinking more about the demise of the printed book. I should perhaps now turn my thoughts to the demise of the library.

Leland Buck