Downsizing the Public Library

Abstract Now that the Internet has become a universal resource, it should not be a surprise to information specialists that fewer introductory reference questions are being asked in the library. The easy explanation is that, because of the wide variety of documents available on the Net, the average person (with proper connectivity) may be his or her own librarian. The response to this situation is provoking concern in the library community over developing new means of counting reference transactions and alerting staff to expect more detailed questions to be asked in the future. For someone looking for proof to validate the above, one can provide no more than anecdotal evidence. This, however, is really not crucial to the intent of this commentary. As a statement, it serves rather as a metaphor of things to come. The purpose of this essay is to suggest other ways in which library services -particularly those of the public library - are potentially being “downsized” because they are now a part of a networked environment, i.e., of the Internet. In fact, while the reader may find it an irritating question, one would ask whether or not public library provides any unique services that haven't already been snatched away” by the Internet?