Comments on: The book-free library http://bigi.org.uk/nathan/2009/09/07/the-book-free-library/ A Big Ideas blog Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:36:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert Kingham http://bigi.org.uk/nathan/2009/09/07/the-book-free-library/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Robert Kingham Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:33:11 +0000 http://bigi.org.uk/nathan/?p=3#comment-3 CABE brought out a design manual for the future of libraries at http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/21st-century-libraries which explores a lot of these themes. I do think it's the way forward but you're very right to question what we might be losing by making information so effortlessly available, in the same way that we become blase and distanced from agriculture because we come to trust that supermarkets will always be able to source food out of season. Having said that, I think that the focus of most forward-thinking schools has been to tackle exactly what you're talking about, and to equip the learner with the critical skills to sift through the information overload. CABE brought out a design manual for the future of libraries at http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/21st-century-libraries which explores a lot of these themes. I do think it’s the way forward but you’re very right to question what we might be losing by making information so effortlessly available, in the same way that we become blase and distanced from agriculture because we come to trust that supermarkets will always be able to source food out of season.

Having said that, I think that the focus of most forward-thinking schools has been to tackle exactly what you’re talking about, and to equip the learner with the critical skills to sift through the information overload.

]]> By: Stew http://bigi.org.uk/nathan/2009/09/07/the-book-free-library/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Stew Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:15:42 +0000 http://bigi.org.uk/nathan/?p=3#comment-2 It seems that getting books in an electronic form is the one task that requires string, a door knob, and a few loose teeth. I don't go to libraries anymore. A few years ago that's the only place you can find me. Now, my library has turned into a coffee shop or my studio. The only problem I have with this is finding good information. Information we used to find in books now comes with all of the commentary we could ever want and - most of the time - very little actual useful information. We don't need the old-fashioned librarians who had magical talent at finding exactly what we were looking for, but we haven't replaced those librarians with anyone or anything else. It seems that getting books in an electronic form is the one task that requires string, a door knob, and a few loose teeth. I don’t go to libraries anymore. A few years ago that’s the only place you can find me. Now, my library has turned into a coffee shop or my studio. The only problem I have with this is finding good information. Information we used to find in books now comes with all of the commentary we could ever want and – most of the time – very little actual useful information.

We don’t need the old-fashioned librarians who had magical talent at finding exactly what we were looking for, but we haven’t replaced those librarians with anyone or anything else.

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