| Are we scared of paper-free information | Navigate the site |
|---|---|
| Who we are | |
| Contact us | |
| Bibliography | |
| Home Page | |
| If the library is to be the symbol of a society that values freedom and access to information, then it is the role of the library to also carry out the management of library resources
in a manner that aspires to mirror the dignity and fairness that is key to democracy. (,Kretchmer 2001, p.97)
There needs to be a provision then, within these bastions of openness, for keeping up with the changes that are taking place in the provision of information.
The greatest change to this has been in the development of the computer, as a stand-alone PC with a hard-drive data storage facility, but
also in the technologies that have come from it, namely in the form of the internet.
The challenge posed in dealing with this new technology is not only one of paper good, paperless bad,
but one of how far the new technology can bring humans into contact with the information that is available, and whether it
is ultimately best served by the physical security of the tangible object, or the compact power
of the laptop and its connection to the world-wide web.
Computer scientist John Naughton explains the struggle he has had in charting the evolution of the intenet: Naughton goes on to develop the hypothesis that when we investigate the internet, we investigate its core enabling device, the computer; so what constitutes the first computer – a machine, like Babbage's analytical engine, or Wilhelm Schickard's calculator? The list goes on. Yet the internet itself came into being in the twentieth century: its impact only really becoming apparent in the 21st century, when newspaper columnists, academics and think tanks do everything from scaremonger to eulogise over its effects on society. The question begged of this is why is this stage after centuries of engineering seen in such divisive terms? The poser of the essay question breathes a sigh of relief at the idea of having their paper to hang on to. We can only imagine if Babbage's engine created the same amount of controversy. It revolutionised industry, contributing to the UK's success in the industrial revolution. It did have an impact, but an impact on a class within society whose members had little say over where it took them. This is where the paperless, global information environment comes into its own: as the internet, it can be used by anyone, it connects anyone, the effect of the knowledge gleaned can change lives. It is a huge development: but it can only work when a human flicks the switch on their personal computer. It rests on the human's relationship to the machine and our ability to manage it. The internet’s founding principles seem only to strengthen the view that the global, paperless information environment is the more beneficial in the provision of information to all who seek it. Anyone can post a web-page, and within minutes, people from all over the world can type a phrase into a search engine and view the information on the website. This is a powerful capability, and I believe it is this capability which instils fear when we are asked to consider the benefits of the global paperless information environment. How do we know which piece of information in the authoritative? The web, after all, is the harbinger of pornography, extremism and cults. There is no truth to be found among this virtual 'web' of uncensored material. I would ask that we take a step back from the fact that detrimental material is available. If we take religious extremism as an example, material is available, whether in webpage form or hard copy. The real issue is that humans are challenged by the taboo of examining our need to seek out such material. (Naughton 2003, p.34) In the long run, this availability may help law-enforcement agencies to uncover networks which, if they were confined to the covert dark room, would be harder to find. When we start to question the legitimacy of information being available at all, then we are treading in to the territory of censorship and its implication for democratic societies. This affects the right to information of all kinds – hard or virtual copy – as the recent controversy of the government’s plans in introducing the Terrorism Bill demonstrated. Librarians could be held responsible for disseminating information useful for carrying out a terrorist plot should they hand out what could be innocuous facts about the stability of TNT explosive. Dangerous material is available in print or on-line. |