Documenting the Global Conversation: Relevancy of Libraries in a Digital World' (Fred Heath, 2009)

This article discusses libraries becoming a thing of the past, and that the future is now online. Heath discusses threats to the information sector such as newspapers being outsourced, the music industry where people are no longer purchasing compact discs and instead are downloading from the Web, book publishing where any new manuscript would be subjected to "market interest" before the decision to publish could go forward (Heath, 2009, p. 522 as cited by Rich, 2008). Heath states that the reasons for the move are evident in the marketplace. Book sales have declined but the one positive outcome for the book industry is e-books, whose sales increased almost 64% for the year (Heath, 2009, p. 522 as cited by AAP, 2009). Health makes a good point by mentioning this in the article. E-books are becoming more popular and therefore physical book publishers see a decrease in sales because of it.

Heath discusses Higher Education as topic in his paper. Heath mentions a report that James Duderstadt, former chancellor at the University of Michigan, and some of his colleagues, authored titled ' Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research University'. In their report for the National Academies, they observed that the rapid evolution of the digital environment brought with it threats as well as opportunities: "Universities will have to function in a highly digital environment along with other organisations, as almost every academic function will be affected, and sometimes displaced, by modern technology" (Duderstadt, 2002, p. 13). With new technologies rapidly changing higher education institutions will need to adapt to the changes. Heath mentions that the University of Phoenix, will soon enrol 400,000 students across 200 campuses and a galaxy of online courses and degrees (Heath, 2009, p. 524). This shows that online courses are becoming more and more popular and necessary and people are able to achieve a degree fully online. As mentioned previously in this report having everything online can be very beneficial however as Heath mentions for students, the years at university represent an important stage in life's journey. It is a time to master the craft of discovery and the discipline of critical inquiry. It is the time in life when we learn to observe, to form theories and conclusions... Effective, sustainable learning outcomes require that we set aside face to face sessions, and develop new approaches (Heath, 2009, p. 526).

Heath makes an excellent point here where face to face learning is very important for higher education success. Learning to observe, communicate, online or face to face, and interacting with other students is important when studying. However as the world is becoming more and more digital, perhaps schooling will be online as well in the future? The World Wide Web is a necessary tool however as Heath states, university is an important life journey, and whilst the World Wide Web is crucial to use for many on a daily basis, face to face learning may also be important for success.

Important issues highlighted in the article are whether or not Librarians still serve a purpose in academic libraries. Heath states that although the reference librarians at the University of Texas (UT) are helping to build a transparent, friendly information navigation system for students, the 'reference librarian' still serves a very important purpose in libraries today (Heath, 2009, p. 527). In my view it is important to still have a "Reference Desk" as some users may not be comfortable with the Internet. Librarians will always serve a purpose as being able to assist with research where needed, point students or the public in the right direction, or even to be shown how to use a website. Public libraries are also an important part as many people want to borrow books and not be online all the time. You may be able to download electronic books however sitting down with a book to read, after spending many hours of a day at a computer, is a nice thing to do without then downloading an online novel. Books will always have a purpose, as will librarians, even if it's only a recommendation of a novel, or a textbook, that help will most of the time be valued by many students or customers.

This article was very broad, however the relevant parts for the information sector and libraries, academic and public was thorough and informative. Heath has given us a lot of points to consider, including the need to think about the online future of the information sector.

Heath's article was timely and relevant to all those who work in libraries and the information sector. It certainly discusses the positives and negatives particularly of academic libraries and whether current students need 'librarians' or if the information is all purely online. It is an interesting article and as the new technology keeps changing, it is interesting to keep reading about how this affects all sectors especially the Information management and library industry.