The advent of the
internet
has made a significant change in how people live, even
libraries
nowadays could be digitized. Opinion on whether public
libraries
should be opened freely in each town by the government or be fully replaced by the
Internet
is largely divided.
While
many endorse the plus point of using solely electrical
resources
, I am more convinced of the government's uncharged public
libraries
provision being ubiquitous.
Advocates of the
internet
-based library could base their argument on utilitarian beliefs. It could be said that the government is dutiful to present the mainstream common interest and welfare to the majority, in which the freedom to seek knowledge, stay informed, and expand one’s cognitive ability is included. Electrical
resources
and online
libraries
seem to easily address these concerns by providing a mutual server giving free communal accessibility to newspapers, magazines, urban archives, etc. with just a click of a “Login” button.
This
solution is said to be cost-effective and convenient compared to establishing public
libraries
in every town, yet, it is a huge fallacy since building a public online service would not save any more money, if not, more expensive. Some may
also
claim that
internet
-based
libraries
give users unlimited
access
to the intelligence of the word, thereby, it would improve the reading habit of citizens
overall
.
However
, the personal reading preference among residents is not similar, especially among the elders,who prefer paper-based materials,
not to mention
the computer literacy and affordability of private
internet
.
Therefore
, at least for now, shifting toward a completely digital national library system is not an appropriate approach.
In my view, the functions of public
libraries
are beyond the mere channel for accessing information. First, public
libraries
today serve as multifunctional social venues, offering a wide range of services
such
as physical space that foster community engagement, intellectual exploration, and lifelong learning. To illustrate, in Vietnam, the proportion of juveniles fascinated by reading books is minuscule,
hence
in order to proliferate young readers, public
libraries
often held “book camp” or “book workshop” in summer vacation to stimulate reading culture.
Second,
the approach of using taxpayers’ money to build communal
libraries
is desirable for promoting civil equality, since not everyone has the means or ability to
access
the
internet
.These
resources
can benefit individuals who may not have
access
to
such
facilities at home or in their local communities.
In conclusion,
although
the
Internet
offers convenience and vast amounts of information, I reckon that public
libraries
offer unique advantages
such
as community engagement,
access
to physical
resources
and promoting equality.