You should no longer expect to find a collection tailored to the needs of your area. Instead, computers turn every library into a piece of a giant puzzle.
Predictor: Stoll, Clifford
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “Silicon Snake Oil,” writer Clifford Stoll shares his take on the Internet’s future implications for libraries:”Professor Beverly Lynch of UCLA and past president of the American Library Association reminds me that the central concept of library science was the selection of materials for the local collection. After automation came along, ‘resource sharing’ became the watchword. In other words, you should no longer expect to find a collection tailored to the needs of your area. Instead, computers turn every library into a piece of a giant puzzle. Of course, computers could allow for a more friendly, customized and personalized access system.”
Biography:Clifford Stoll was an astrophysicist who also wrote the influential books “Silicon Snake Oil” (1995) and “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” A long-time network user, Stoll made “Silicon Snake Oil” his platform for finding fault with the Internet hype of the early 1990s. He pointed out the pitfalls of a completely networked society and offered arguments in opposition to the hype. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Libraries/Databases
Name of publication: Silicon Snake Oil
Title, headline, chapter name: Wherein the Author Considers the Future of the Library, the Myth of Free Information, and a Novel Way to Heat Bathwater
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 202
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.