And, most noticeably, replacing the solitary quiet of reading rooms are the more distracting sounds of keyboards and chatter coming from the computer class. Manassas Mall is the inaugural project of the foundation. While the effects of digitization of information are most often spoken of in terms of boardrooms and classrooms, libraries, as well see their roles shifting as the delivery of knowledge is transformed. The skillsets that library staffs possess in organization, research and literacy are extremely valuable in a time when bits and bytes of information can be mistaken for pieces of knowledge. Those in the library sciences are finding that the traditions of categorizing and evaluating information are just as important, if not more important, in the digital age.
Digital information poses a different challenge to libraries.
Any one library's collection of journals, books and reference materials are only a small part of the knowledge and information that is available digitally. Past the books and buildings that have historically been associated with libraries are the information and literacy skills that librarians can provide to their communities. Manassas Mall program addresses these issues head on. The mall program is somewhat of a model for a community-sustained library. As the program operates without any county funding, community assistance is vital to the success of the program.