Witnessing a Major Shift

Right now, I'm in the BCIT library. I always give a one-hour project when I teach COMM 0004. That is what's happening. My fifteen students are working in pairs in various places around the building. They walked around the entire facility and are now planning and writing a description of one particular location. It's always interesting to have an activity take place outside the usual classroom. After this, we will walk back across campus to NE1 to finish the remaining three hours. Some of this will be spent studying new material, some writing an assignment, and we'll also spend a bit of time in the computer lab.

I didn't even mention to the students that today is my birthday. I don't want to have any fuss over the fact I'm fifty years old today. It might be due to the occasion which marks the passing of years, but my idea of libraries has certainly changed. Honestly, walking between stacks of yellowing paper seems very anchronistic. I am sure that during the centuries between the great libraries of the Roman Empire and a few years ago, these items on the shelves constituted a collection of the sum total of man's knowledge.

I have nothing against regular, old books. They are a terribly efficient way of carrying around information. They are portable, light-weight and can be produced cheaply. I always sort of laughed at those who talked about the demise of the library. That was, until today. The rushing tide to electronic storage and access will continue unabated. I'm sure that in another fifty years there will be a campus building called a library. I do not expect, however, that its function or layout will be recognizable.