Being Analog

Examining digital resources in libraries and the people that use them, this work offers an alternative model to a simplistic digital future. The author challenges popular notions of the virtual library, asserting that the complex mix of technologies projects no clear path to the future and that people use technology in unexpected ways. In today's competitive funding environment, digital dreams of virtual libraries pose the real threat of misguided physical and budgetary planning. Crawford's arguments aim to help the reader to articulate his or her own viewpoints to administrators, staff, users or those who claim that the virtual library will do it all for less. He explores the roles of libraries and why people use libraries. He helps the reader make choices among the ever-shifting, complex combinations of digital and analogue resources. ""Being Analog"" celebrates the remarkable results professional librarianship has achieved in sensibly combining human intelligence and computer power. It points the way to a real world where flexible libraries support today's services and resources, while accommodating tomorrow's changes.