BOOKS = LEARNING = KNOWLEDGE

Since antiquity, a simple formula has applied as far as library holdings are concerned; books=learning=knowledge.  A large number of available and displayed books equates to a “good” library; put simply, lots of books equal lots of knowledge.  Indeed, the status of an American library is often measured by how many millions of titles the institution owns (and displays).

A real dilemma for the creators of library spaces in the next five to ten years is that with more and more resources only being available in the digital domain, how do we convince the casual visitor to our libraries that “invisible” digital resources equal knowledge in the same way that brim-full stacks do?