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Will Internet make libraries obsolete?

From pulp to pixels, libraries evolve

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 8:39 AM Monday, April 19, 2010

HAMILTON — On a sunny afternoon, as residents gathered at local parks or strolled city sidewalks, a bookish library was the farthest thing from their minds.

But most said it was still close to their hearts.

“I’m in favor of the library, but I don’t use it,” said Larry Corsetti, a Fairfield resident, as he tinkered with his radio-controlled airplane at Joyce Park.

Corsetti’s co-pilots agreed. Many of them haven’t used the library in years, but “I’ll probably grit my teeth and vote ‘yes,’” said Jon Sullivan, of Hamilton, about a proposed library levy.

The 0.75-mill levy for the Lane Library system on the May 4 ballot would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $22.97 per year. Administrators say it’s needed to bridge a state budget cut.

It’s the first levy in the library’s 144-year history. The library has changed in those years. It has become a multimedia hub where Internet access is as popular as hard-copy books.

But with home Internet access growing, some wonder how libraries will stay relevant in the future.

“I’ll bet my grandchildren don’t even know what the inside of a library looks like,” said Hamilton resident Rebecca Clark. “We’ve got to advertise it more.”

Clark was walking down Main Street. She had just donated a stack of books to The Book Keeper bookstore. She is a voracious reader.

“I buy (books), I go to the library, I buy them on the Internet, my daughter and I trade them back and forth,” she said.

Hamilton resident Devin Edwards reclined on the fishing dock at Voice of America Park in West Chester Twp., watching his pole. He said he hasn’t used the library since college, about four years ago, and can envision a future without them.

“For children, with today’s economy, it’s good for them to be able to get out and further their education,” he said. “If (taxes) aren’t funding them ... with the Internet and everything, it may be a thing of the past.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.

What role will libraries have in the future?

Rebecca Clark, Hamilton: “I’ll bet my grandchildren don’t know what the inside of a library looks like. We’ve got to advertise it more.”
Melissa Young, Hamilton: “If our kids can’t learn our history, or about fantasies, there’s no dreams. It all starts with reading. There’s nothing better than opening a book, sitting in a corner and reading it.”
Larry Corsetti, Fairfield: “Definitely for education, for the kids. They have a lot more books there than they have access to in school.”

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