Why do we still need public
libraries in the digital age?
By Tomas Doherty
'There has been a major rethink in
how exactly the library should be serving the public.' Photo ©
After years of declining visitor numbers, libraries
are experiencing a resurgence of interest and investment. The British Council's
Tomas Doherty explains how libraries have adapted to new trends in how we
read, work and socialise, as the British Council library in Dhaka Opens in a new tab
or window. reopens
on 20 September.
Technology
has changed the way we consume media
Libraries
have always been at the heart of the communities they serve. They are
accessible and safe spaces, providing access to huge resources of information
and knowledge. There are an estimated 315,000 public libraries in the world, 73
per cent of them in developing and transitioning countries. The public library
transcends national and cultural boundaries -- no matter where you are in the
world, they are an essential part of creating and maintaining an educated and
literate population.
But
today, public libraries are at a turning point. The way we access and consume
information has changed dramatically in the 21st century, and this presents
major challenges and opportunities for public library systems across the world.
The
advent of new technologies has changed some of our reading habits. But our need
for shared, community-centred spaces to find information and connect with
others is unlikely to change any time soon. To survive in the digital age and
stay relevant, public libraries need to be brave and innovative. They must
embrace both the physical and virtual.
Libraries
must offer more than just books
Regular
visitors to libraries expect them to continue to provide the services they have
provided for many years. And rightly so -- the ‘traditional’ library of books,
journals and quiet reading spaces shouldn’t just disappear. But libraries also
need to respond quickly to real changes in how people live their lives.
In
the UK, with heightened pressure on public expenditure and lowering visitor
numbers, the traditional library system has come under more scrutiny. Why
maintain expensive-to-run ‘physical’ libraries when growing numbers of people
can already access the information they need from any location? As a result, in
recent years public libraries have been threatened with closure across all
parts of the country.
But
there has also been a major rethink in the UK as to how exactly the library
should be serving the public, and what the library of the future could and
should look like. Last year, the Arts Council England published a wide-ranging
and detailed piece of research, Envisioning the library of the future Opens in a new tab or
window., aiming to answer these very
questions. As well as emphasising the need for the physical and the digital to
sit side by side, it finds that the 21st century public library service will be
one in which “local people are more active and involved in its design and
delivery.” A sense of community, always a defining feature of libraries, has
renewed importance.
People
in developing countries like Bangladesh need access to reliable information
In
lower-income countries, like Bangladesh, the context for libraries is different
but some of the same challenges remain. Bangladesh itself is a small country
with a huge population, estimated at around 162 million people. There are high
rates of poverty and illiteracy, especially in rural areas. According to the World
Bank Opens in a new tab or window.,
43 per cent of the total adult population is illiterate, with a
disproportionate number female. Internet penetration in Bangladesh is only 22
per cent, 10 per cent less than the global average.
Bangladesh
urgently needs greater access to reliable information for all its citizens. Not
only do they need vital information about health, safety, nutrition and public
services, but they also want opportunities to develop their literacy, learn
skills for employability, and take part in collective educational and cultural
activities. In Bangladesh, information is essential to survive and prosper -
and lacking the right information can lead to worsening economic poverty.
With
the right investment, libraries could be well-placed to provide some of that
knowledge and those opportunities to communities all over Bangladesh. However,
there’s also a need for library services to go beyond the ‘traditional’. An
increasing digital divide (that has been shown to entrench both gender and
class divisions), and ethnic and religious tensions continue unabated in some
regions. Just like in the UK, Bangladesh has to rethink how libraries can
better meet the needs of its people.
Bangladesh
has plenty of libraries, but the quality of their services is inconsistent
Bangladesh's
current library and information services provide access to information to
varying degrees, but they are fragmented and unaligned in what they offer. For
instance, there are 68 government public libraries, all in urban areas, which
have long been in need of investment.
There
many more non-governmental public libraries, around 1,000 spread across urban
and rural areas. BRAC
Opens in a new tab or window.,
the world’s largest NGO, maintains a network of 2650 Gonokendros
Opens in a new tab or window. (multi-purpose community learning
centres), mostly located in rural villages. About 10 per cent of these have
internet connectivity.
The Bangladesh
Government’s Access to Information (a2i) programme Opens in a new tab or
window. has also set up a network of
Union Information Service Centres (UISCs). These provide limited public internet
access and operate in all 4,547 Union
Parishads Opens in a new tab or window.,
the lowest tier of local government. Bangladesh's population is young, growing
and ever-changing, so these services will have to find a way to adapt for the
future.
Bangladesh's
economy is improving fast
Bangladesh
has gone through a period of unprecedented economic change over the last two
decades, with growth averaging at around five to six per cent year-on-year. The
country has been named by Goldman Sachs as one of its 'next 11' emerging economies. This speedy development is likely to continue, but for
everyone to take part in it and gain equally, the country will need broad-based
access to information. Libraries should be at the centre of this.
The
British Council has a long history of running libraries in South Asia
Historically,
the British Council’s international network of libraries played a vital role in
educating a generation of leaders. In South Asia in particular, the libraries
were, and continue to be, integral parts of the communities they serve. They
provided access to a wide range of books and learning materials in the English
language that were in limited supply elsewhere. In countries that were once
isolated or had closed societies, like Burma, the British Council library was a
venerated source of up-to-date information from the wider world.
In
Bangladesh, people from all walks of life continue to speak with great respect
and nostalgia about the role of the British Council library in their lives; the
education it provided, the opportunities it created - many met their spouses
there. The organisation first began to offer library services in Dhaka 60 years
ago in 1954, in what was then known as East Pakistan. It later expanded to run
branch libraries in the regional cities of Chittagong and Rajshahi. Today,
there are British Council libraries in Dhaka and Chittagong, with more library
services planned to open in Sylhet in early 2015.
Libraries
have to modernise while staying true to the heart of what they offer
Like
other library providers, the British Council has had to respond to lifestyle
changes in the countries we work in. Our network of libraries has decreased in
recent years, reflecting a global trend for fewer library visitors, with people
more likely to read books and newspapers digitally, instead of on paper.
Our
refurbished library in Dhaka will aim to bridge these two concepts, as it will
be both a physical and a virtual space. As well as an updated physical
collection of books, CDs and DVDs, the new library will provide users with
remote access to over 80,000 e-books and 14,000 e-journals. The same quiet
reading and study areas will be there for those who need it, but the library
will be also be used as a cultural and social space where people can come
together to watch theatre and film screenings, or take part in workshops,
seminars, meetings, author talks and fashion events.
The
concept of the library continues to hold a special place of importance in
people’s hearts - and recent developments, like the reinvention of the Library
of Birmingham Opens in a new tab or window. in
the UK (which has two million visitors a year, and lends its digital
collections to 10 million people a year), have shown how a library can still be
a huge source of pride.
