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Libraries Reimagined
Human Media:
5.26.2020 Produced by David Freudberg
Our shared heritage – updated for the
digital age
In 2019, Americans visited the library
more often than they went to a movie theater or attended a sporting event. In
fact, Gallup found that going to the library was – by far – the most frequent
cultural activity in the United States last year. A Pew survey reports that
over ninety percent of Americans view libraries as “welcoming and friendly
places.”
Given that popularity, consider what
happened in 2018 when Forbes magazine published an article by an economics
professor. His essay proposed that Amazon replace local libraries and “save
taxpayers lots of money, while enhancing the value of their stock.” The article
ignited a firestorm of protest by some library patrons and especially by
librarians. Within days, Forbes deleted the piece from its website.
And far from stagnant institutions of
the past, libraries today are rapidly evolving. They’re carried along by the
tide of technology that has transformed so much of how we receive information
in modern life. Their online resources are more important now than ever. And
libraries have also introduced a host of new services, from early literacy
programs, to help for patrons who are living on the edge, to ‘maker spaces’,
where library users create and edit original content.
A fundamental resource for democracy
As you’ll hear in this special series,
Libraries Reimagined, public radio documentary-maker David Freudberg examines
the role of these remarkable, locally-controlled institutions in virtually
every community across America. And you’ll learn new ways that libraries help
to preserve our democracy by ensuring free, unfettered access to information. LISTEN
1:
Information Age 27:17
2:
Treasury of Learning 25:44
3:
Early Literacy 27:00
4:
Digital Literacy 24:59
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 13
Reading Level: difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old
(college level entry)
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