Question by Your Pal: Will public libraries be extinct with 5 years?
I’m talking about libraries as they are now: a place you go to, and walk into.
The rapid growth of e-books seems to mean that very shortly everyone will have an “e-book reader” (Kindle, Nook, or one of the similar devices from other companies). When that happens, most books will be published only as e-books.
And so, there won’t be any need for libraries as physical places anymore.
Public libraries will continue to exist as web sites, where many books (especially older ones) can be “checked out” over the Internet in the sense of downloading them into your e-book reader device.
So, are now witnessing the impending doom of libraries as physical places?
Best answer:
Answer by Ray
Physical public libraries will not go extinct for any reason you’ve mentioned. MP3 has been around a lot longer than e-books, and you can still go buy vinyl at a record shop, not to mention CD’s. It won’t happen in 5 years. It won’t happen in 50 years. It will collapse when the societies that made them, do.
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