Gillogly: Libraries lose out to the Internet

‘ ‘ ‘ I’ve never taken a course in mathematics at Pitt, but I know what two papers plus two… ‘ ‘ ‘ I’ve never taken a course in mathematics at Pitt, but I know what two papers plus two exams adds up to: one long, dreary night at the library. ‘ ‘ ‘ Faced with a recent academic crisis, I ventured to the oh-so-hot study venue: Club Hillman. The library was in full swing when I arrived. There wasn’t a vacant seat to be found on the noisy and bustling first floor ‘mdash; but that didn’t matter. I had some serious studying ahead of me, and I knew the upper floors would be better suited to fulfill my need for noiselessness. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s library caters to all students’ study preferences. For those who want a nice, quiet study session in solitude, students can seek out one of the many islands of desks hiding among the labyrinth of books on the upper floors. ‘ ‘ ‘ Navigating through these silent rows of books, I came to a realization that I was walking through some sort of graveyard. But there were no dead bodies here, just dead books. ‘ ‘ ‘ Hundreds of books sat shelved in the row I was walking down. Out of curiosity, I plucked one from its resting place. This particular book happened to be about the exploration of caves of the western United States. Talk about obscure. ‘ ‘ ‘ How long had it been since this book was checked out? Thirteen years, according to the stamp card on the inside of the back cover. The book’s first check-out date: Jan. 26, 1960. ‘ ‘ ‘ Holding this fossil got me thinking about the nature of libraries. Club Hillman was packed, yet I didn’t see anyone browsing the aisles of books. Students crowded the study rooms, computer areas and sea of tables, but the rows of books remained lifeless. ‘ ‘ ‘ Like withering autumn leaves clinging steadfast to their branches, I wondered if the seemingly perennial pages of these hundreds of untouched books would endure the test of time. ‘ ‘ ‘ As students, we tend to pigeonhole the library as a place to study. But have we forgotten what the original purpose of a library is? ‘ ‘ ‘ Apparently, I have. I’ve only checked out two or three books at most from Hillman so far in my college career. The library is an institution designed to lend resources out for research or recreational reading. Yet more and more it feels as if our Hillman is but an oversized, five-tiered study lounge. And yet the student can’t be blamed for this institutional transformation. Its conversion is only a sign of the times. ‘ ‘ ‘ Over the past few years, approximately 250,000 books were borrowed from the library each year, according to a Hillman Library official. Despite this current steadiness, however, checkout rates began to drastically decline around seven to 10 years ago. Unsurprisingly, this drop in numbers correlates with the ubiquity of the Internet. The Internet’s web of information undergoes never-ending expansion and updating. Granted, users must screen certain Web sites to ensure the credibility of their content, but overall the Internet provides a powerhouse of reliable information superior to even the largest libraries’ collections of printed resources. ‘ ‘ ‘ And today the library feels synonymous with the old-fashioned. On several instances I’ve heard everyone from my professors to my parents reminisce about the joys of digging through a stack of books to look up some obscure statistic or fact back in their college days. Now, a quick Google search circumvents this hassle. Technology is a beautiful thing. ‘ ‘ ‘ So where does the library stand in today’s world? As a tangible hardcopy of history, the importance of the book can’t be forgotten. And the library’s wealth of books will always serve a niche for the researcher seeking material that might not be available online. Then again, Hillman is constantly expanding its digital network of information ‘mdash; and I’m certain other libraries are too ‘mdash; meaning more of its resources are available through the Internet. This in turn means that credible information can be obtained faster and much more easily. ‘ ‘ ‘ Not only do we not have to deal with the physical process of hunting down a book ‘mdash; no more straining our eyes to read tiny classification numbers on spines of books or getting lost amid the maze of rows ‘mdash; we can browse the library’s collection from our computer screens.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Thus, the library is becoming a hybrid institution. The books probably won’t be disappearing from the shelves anytime soon, as evidenced by the very old book on spelunking that I happened upon. But at the same time, their relevance seems obsolete to the downpour of digital data.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s not unfortunate that Hillman serves more as a study ground than a book lender, for this doesn’t necessarily imply students are neglecting research or reading less. Save the ardent bibliophiles out there, we should regard the state of the library as a testament to the advancement and capability of the Information Age. E-mail Keith at kbg6@pitt.edu.