Now we've got the internet, why do we need school libraries?

by:

MD RASUL BIN HARON

Thousands of web pages compare the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet instead of a traditional library. No-one disagrees that about the fact that a bank of computers looks very impressive, and gives even the most decrepid of libraries a contemporary patina. However, it is appropriate to consider an analogy with Banjo Patterson’s “Mulga Bill’s Bicycle”. Fancy machinery is no guarantee of success in travelling along the Information Superhighway.

Unfortunately, one of the great ‘urban myths’ in our schools and the wider community is that "everything" is available on the Internet. In a significant number of schools, there have been reductions in library funding, in favour of increasing the number of computers in libraries. Aging reference books are not being replaced, due to the flawed rationale that Internet access has negated the necessity for such print material.

There can be no denial that the Internet can be an incredibly powerful research aid when used by those with an awareness of advanced search techniques. The value of the Internet as a communication tool is beyond dispute. However, it can also be a time-consuming, frustrating, or misleading reference source. The oft-cited advantages of using the Internet for research purposes regularly include:

• The ability to access the very latest information.
• Being able to communicate directly with subject experts by email.
• Twenty-four hour access, 7 days a week, 364 days a year.
• Its interactivity makes it enjoyable to use.