But in recent interviews, many scholars and librarians applauded the announcement by Google, the operator of the world’s most popular Internet search service, to digitize some of the collections at Oxford, the University of Michigan, Stanford and the New York Public Library.
(…) But Google’s plan – which many saw as the first step toward creating a global virtual library – has huge implications for information gathering and use, also raising concerns among those interviewed.
No one forecast a brave new world without actual libraries. Rather, they raised questions.
(…) But, „What I’ve learned is that libraries help people formulate questions as well as find answers,” Ms. Wittenberg said. „Who will do that in a virtual world?”
(…) Mr. Jimerson said, „A scanned image will only tell you some things, and the sheer volume of records makes scanning everything difficult.” But he added that he supported Google’s plan in theory. „I recall the story of a gentleman being in a library and watching a researcher sniff books,” he said. „It turned out that the aroma of vinegar was still embedded in those that had been treated with vinegar to prevent cholera during an epidemic.”