The Case For Keeping Libraries Alive

It’s an increasingly common refrain in developed countries: libraries are no longer necessary because we can access all the books and information we could possibly need on the Internet. We’ve seen that libraries have all sorts of alternate uses in places where Internet penetration is high--for example, check out this library that also functions as a maker space--but they’re especially important in developing countries.

Beyond Access, an initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a coalition of nine organizations focused on helping libraries power development by acting as hubs for social and economic change. "People have certain perceptions about libraries. Many libraries have trouble talking about the work that they do," says Ari Katz, the deputy director for technology and civil society at IREX, a nonprofit focused on education, community, and independent media. "There’s a knee-jerk response on the part of development planners to create new institutions to do work that libraries have always been doing."