As the networks grow, commercial sources will blossom, and the free lending library will wither. They won’t entirely disappear.
Predictor: Templeton, Brad
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “Silicon Snake Oil,” writer Clifford Stoll shares his take on the Internet’s future implications, paraphrasing the ideas of Brad Templeton of Clarinet Enterprises. Stoll writes:”Then there’s the problem of commercial and no-cost information services. Brad Templeton feels that we can’t have a free electronic library alongside one that charges. In his opinion, as the networks grow, commercial sources will blossom, and the free lending library will wither. They won’t entirely disappear – Brad thinks they’ll archive whatever isn’t in digital format, help with information searches, and provide terminals for the poor.”
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: Paraphrase
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 184
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.