What if libraries are artifact-bound institutions?

Abstract

Libraries are artifact-bound institutions, and as such, will be replaced as the dominant technology for information communication moves from tangible objects to electronic bits on a network. As this transition occurs, it is important to understand not what libraries have done, but rather what they are for. Libraries make information easily, publicly, and cheaply available. They are the means through which organizations and communities subsidize the distribution of information to residents and members. Without such support, information is underused, and its potential benefit is lost. As the library fades as the channel for this subsidy, it is critical that the subsidy itself is not lost. If it is, our organizations will be less effective and our communities poorer. By understanding these issues, librarians can shape the information economy so that institutional and community subsidy is maintained, and new technologies enhance and extend information availability. If preserving the library as an institution is our focus, we will fail in these tasks.