by LaDonna Hatfield

Created on: November 16, 2008

Years ago when I was in high school, the library was a place of unending delight for me. The variety of books easily accessible by the card catalog files in their wooden boxes at the windows opened doors to places, people, and information that I craved. Will libraries of the 21st century hold the same appeal? No, they will hold even greater appeal to the masses than the libraries of my youth! The libraries of the 21st century will be exciting places where old technology is replaced by new technology and the never-ending scores of books increase not only on the shelves but via digital media as well.

Libraries of the 21st century will become more popular because they will provide services the public wants in the same tradition of the old libraries-at little or no cost! Books are not going out of style, and new authors arrive on the scene daily. The library offers these $25 and up books to be read at no cost to the reader. It doesn't get better than that for avid readers. In addition, the digital age is here, and libraries are keeping pace. The old microfiche machines have been replaced with computers that allow access to archived materials. In addition, the computers provide access to wikipedias, podcasts, and all the new information along the information technology highway. Students will be able to go to the library to download podcasts produced by their teachers regarding class discussions and assignments as well as lectures they miss. Even better, they can transfer these podcasts to their iPods, cell phones, and similar devices so they can listen to them at their leisure. Emails will be sent and read and responded to in the library. A huge database of PowerPoint presentations will allow students and the public at large to access information organized with pictures and sound for the quickest processing of new material. Even the process of looking for a job, communicating with Social Security Administration, or reporting crime to the local or federal authorities will be possible from the safety of the public library.

Speaking of safety, remember when you had to go into the depths of the stacks of magazines to find the singular copy needed to finish a term paper? That uneasy feeling when an unfamiliar face appeared around the corner of the stacks sent shivers down your spine, and you knew that you weren't in the safest spot the library had to offer. In the 21st century, those stacks will be replaced by digitized copies of the articles you need. You can locate,

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