Library as a Verb: Technological Change and the Obsolescence of Place in Research

In recent years, it has become almost routine to speculate on the obsolescence or perseverance of the library. These speculations usually conflate the institution of the library with its physical location. This essay presents an overview of existing opinions on whether libraries will persevere, shows how changes in technology and the research process affect the concept of the library, and ultimately argues that the library may be better viewed as a process than as a place. Originally given in presentation form at the 8th Annual Conference of Technology, Knowledge, and Society in 2012, this paper is printed in the Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline as an invited essay.