Google and the Librarians

Palfrey, John.  Biblio Tech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google.  New
        York: Basic Books, 2015.  ISBN: 978-0-465-04299-9

John Palfrey channels passion and desire in making his case as to why libraries are relevant and more needed in this age of Google then ever.  He works on presenting a rational, yet passionate plea for the role libraries played in America's past and the part he thinks it needs to play in the present and future for the betterment of society.

Palfrey provides a list of what he considers the problems facing today's libraries: public use (and understanding of libraries); physical space versus virtual space; a desire to change libraries from locations to platforms (although he does acknowledge that hybrid libraries will be a necessity for the near future); networking for collection and preservation; and a decent chapter on copyright.  He ends the book with a ten item list of what he thinks need to be done to make libraries relevant in the future.

Despite his dry, passionate arguments, Palfrey's list strike this reader (a veteran librarian for 30 years) as well meaning, overdone, and often contradictory.  They resonate with similar calls of action that have rung out over the years, been applauded by librarians and done little but deforest the land.  Despite all the pleas and posturing, I foresee libraries continue to astound critics and supporters in the future despite all the grandiose plans made by library honchos because of the front line librarians' impact on students and patrons.