Libraries used to be the primary source of information. Have a paper to write in school? Head to the library. Want to know about poisonous snakes or the Korean War? Go to the library. Even if your family owned an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica, there was no way you could have as much info available as the local library.
I do now. I have an iPhone and an iPad. I have a laptop I can take anywhere and a desktop computer at work. I can access the wealth of information that awaits on the Internet just about any time I want. But do I really need four devices to get to one place? Whether it was on campus or in the neighborhood, one library was enough to satisfy curiosity and need.
How many libraries do I need within reach when one down the block used to be plenty?
