Who needs libraries in the digital age?

"Some have questioned the need for physical libraries in the age of digital information. But all the evidence we have gathered in studies of the library’s facility needs has led us to conclude that the library, as a place, will be even more highly valued in the future than it is today.

Our new and expanded libraries will do much more than store books. They will provide an environment in which people and ideas in all formats can come together. This environment will foster intellectual exploration and the pursuit of knowledge.

We are social creatures and we crave human interaction. Our libraries will be the social and intellectual anchors of our community, essential gathering places that will never be replaced by Internet chat rooms, web sites or other “virtual” environments."

Source: Allen County Public Library

See also: Library Journal article, "Library Buildings 2007: Going, Going, Green"