KUALA LUMPUR: As the world is headed towards total digitalisation, the role of libraries as the hub of information, knowledge and preserver of historical documents will still stay relevant, says American Librarian Association president-elect Emily Drabinski.
The optimistic outlook for the public institution is because of the inadequacy that the online provider can contribute to its user - which is the human factor.
“Libraries still maintain their roles in providing not just information, but access to technology in the community while also emphasising the space that libraries provide for physical social interaction,” said Drabinski.
“We will always be here when the technology fails.
“We see that there is a lot of bad information available very easily on the Internet.
“A library is a place that takes very seriously the role of providing information and making sure we select and acquire quality information for our communities,” she told Bernama after attending a panel discussion on the role of libraries as community connectors from the United States and Malaysia perspectives, as well as making a courtesy call on the National Library of Malaysia here yesterday.
President of the Librarians Association of Malaysia Dr Ghazali Mohamed Fadzil said libraries, especially in rural areas, could function as solutions for social issues in its community and help to build more educated communities.
