The armchair library patron

For those of us born into a world where technology consisted of manual typewriters, carbon paper, and rotary phones, technology has changed every aspect of our lives and how we live. Some changes have been gradual and some not, but in retrospect none are more amazing than the changes in our local library and how the library delivers information and how we access library information and services. Once upon a time a visit to the library entailed a manual search through the card catalogue and then, checking out the allowed allotment of books with hand stamped due dates. As the years passed a radical new section that contained movies on VHS appeared and somehow the card catalogue disappeared. Today a library can exist as a virtual entity. It used to be that one could be an "armchair traveler"; today one can be an armchair library patron.

Unless an individual wishes to walk in and check out a title or enjoy the community of an event, a library can exist for a patron as a virtual entity. Libraries have online catalogues as well as 24/7 reference services through an email enabled feature called "Ask-a-Librarian", as well as web access to the library's data bases. Many libraries have a large selection of e-books available to download. Inter-library loans are possible with a click of a mouse and book clubs can be enjoyed through a blog format. Technology has made library resources as available and as close as your computer and as fast to receive as your Internet connection.