Library 2.0

I read several of these articles and skimmed the rest. As a confirmed bookworm, I cringed at the implication in Rick Anderson's "Away from the icebergs" article that we should dump all of our print resources because EVERYBODY wants instant on-line access. Yes, for the academic community I have seen that on-line sources are often much more cost-effective than print materials, especially at NSU , with its large off-campus student population. Yes, at a recent gathering of BCL librarians it was pointed out that the new construction of library buildings in this county followed the old models - majority of space allocated to print holdings, small sections for media and not enough terminals.
However, as a librarian who works daily with the public patrons, I believe that print materials in the areas of picture books and general fiction will be with us for at least another generation or two. We do not yet have the technology to make it easy for a two year old to look at "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" on-line without adult assistance. Nor is it comfortable or easy for an elderly person with poor eyesight and arthritis to read a best seller sitting in front of a computer.
I suppose that one day print materials will be relatively rare. I hope I'm not around to see it happen!