Are libraries going to disappear?

The author, who is one of the most eminent Italian scholars of Library History and Bibliography, deals with the fate of libraries in the technological age. Until the half of the past century, it would not be possible to think about libraries disappearance, because they were considered fortresses of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alfredo Serrai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Firenze University Press 2016-09-01
Series:JLIS.it
Online Access:http://jlis.it/index.php/jlis/article/view/154
_version_ 1797347417628082176
author Alfredo Serrai
author_facet Alfredo Serrai
author_sort Alfredo Serrai
collection DOAJ
description The author, who is one of the most eminent Italian scholars of Library History and Bibliography, deals with the fate of libraries in the technological age. Until the half of the past century, it would not be possible to think about libraries disappearance, because they were considered fortresses of civil advancement and because even the idea of their destruction would be considered a barbarity. Nowadays, we are facing a profound crisis that led to radical transformations. In the current scenario, libraries are condemned to be "irrelevant" and the only way to control their decline is to transform them into museums, making collections available and preserving library buildings. These opinions are also true with respect to less prestigious libraries, whose collections often testify the history of a territory or a community. A honest reflection on the future of libraries could not take into account "the cultural realities in the different layers of society, of their tendencies, of their needs, and of the technological ways already existing for their satisfaction".
first_indexed 2024-03-08T11:47:29Z
format Article
id doaj.art-79251640786b43568ff0ca986dce01b8
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2038-1026
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T11:47:29Z
publishDate 2016-09-01
publisher Firenze University Press
record_format Article
series JLIS.it
spelling doaj.art-79251640786b43568ff0ca986dce01b82024-01-24T17:48:55ZengFirenze University PressJLIS.it2038-10262016-09-0173Are libraries going to disappear?Alfredo SerraiThe author, who is one of the most eminent Italian scholars of Library History and Bibliography, deals with the fate of libraries in the technological age. Until the half of the past century, it would not be possible to think about libraries disappearance, because they were considered fortresses of civil advancement and because even the idea of their destruction would be considered a barbarity. Nowadays, we are facing a profound crisis that led to radical transformations. In the current scenario, libraries are condemned to be "irrelevant" and the only way to control their decline is to transform them into museums, making collections available and preserving library buildings. These opinions are also true with respect to less prestigious libraries, whose collections often testify the history of a territory or a community. A honest reflection on the future of libraries could not take into account "the cultural realities in the different layers of society, of their tendencies, of their needs, and of the technological ways already existing for their satisfaction".http://jlis.it/index.php/jlis/article/view/154
spellingShingle Alfredo Serrai
Are libraries going to disappear?
JLIS.it
title Are libraries going to disappear?
title_full Are libraries going to disappear?
title_fullStr Are libraries going to disappear?
title_full_unstemmed Are libraries going to disappear?
title_short Are libraries going to disappear?
title_sort are libraries going to disappear
url http://jlis.it/index.php/jlis/article/view/154
work_keys_str_mv AT alfredoserrai arelibrariesgoingtodisappear