There is an article at statastic about the case for transforming Washington, D.C.’s public library system (“Can DC Public Libraries Play Leapfrog?”). The author (known as Statistico) would like to see DCPL become the nation’s &#…

As for costs, I don’t believe that a library based on e-books will be more expensive. Building maintenance and collections services costs will be slashed, freeing up funds for a professional corps of library IT staff. Moving to a virtual library will also require a new generation of librarians to insert some much-needed energy into the system. It also provides a solid reason to downsize the bloated staff which may be the real root of the problem in the DCPL. If you look at the statistics above comparing Seattle and DC public libraries, you’ll see that Seattle spends only 41% more per capita than DC. Yet they manage to provide 70% more books and materials per capita and provide 53% more computers. These efficiencies are reflected in their circulation: for only 41% more in its budget its circulation is 381% times higher than DC’s.

I agree that the ethos of libraries extends beyond checking out books. Libraries are places of learning and exchange. Moving the stacks out of our neighborhood libraries opens space up to more community activities, whether literacy programs or e-book clubs. To be sure, some branches should be downsized or eliminated, but overall I believe that moving away from paper books will free up hundreds of square feet for community activities. And, if we permanently close a few badly-neglected neighborhood libraries (e.g. Shaw neighborhood) in exchange for hundreds of inexpensive e-book kiosks at every low-income neighborhood public school, wouldn’t it be worthwhile?

Future budget cuts are a real concern. But I’m afraid that if we maintain the current course of having libraries woefully out-of-date, we will lose the interest of the taxpayers. This may already be the problem. Just walk into the MLK Library and then walk down the street to Barnes & Noble. Medium and high income customers are buying expensive hardback books because they know their library won’t have them. Anyone who has lived in the District for 5-10 years probably hasn’t even seen a 21st century library, so it’s hard to get them excited about raising taxes to pay for new DCPL system that only catches us up to 1999.

The other objection I have to this idea of virtual libraries is the impact this would have on the ethos of libraries. The isolation that your proposal creates is counter to the reason why we want our communities to have libraries in the first place. They are meant to be places of learning, communication, congregation, exchange. Libraries are essential to the functioning of a democracy, providing information and forum to all. Though technology enhances this mission, it’s a beautiful thought that a library can do everything is is meant to do without one computer.