Reading 1

Thomas Frey’s, “The Future of Libraries Beginning the Great Transformation” is an informative article dealing with how libraries have progressed through time, and what the future may hold for libraries. Frey also provides a guide stating what will be required of libraries as technology changes and evolves.
Frey explains how libraries were instrumental in the preservation of DaVinci’s work and that libraries were more like archives in the medieval times. Libraries have since transformed in multimedia learning stations that not only house books but also provide internet access along with videos and other research materials. Even though libraries have become more and more advanced they still need make technological leaps to better serve patrons. Frey identified ten current trends that directly affect library patrons: Communication systems are constantly changing the way people access information, all technology ends, we have no reached ultimate small particle storage but we soon will, search technology will become more complicated, time compression is changing lifestyles, over time we will transfer to a verbal society, the demand for global information is growing, the stage is being set for a new era of global systems, we are transitioning for a product based economy to an experience based economy, and libraries will change from centers of information to centers of culture.
Frey feels that libraries must embrace new technology along with preserving the past. Libraries can incorporate things such as pod casting and blogging to enrich the library experience. But with all the new technology libraries must preserve the past of their community.