No matter how sophisticated our digital world becomes, books, like paper, are an important feature of the physical world that will never disappear. Paper is still important because it provides context. When you read a newspaper, for example, the paper gives you important clues about the content if you look at what stories are above the fold, and how large the typeset is, etc. Online newspapers cannot give those contextual clues nearly as well. So libraries will be important because they will continue to house the paper resources that society will never give up.
Libraries become nothing more than physical archives for the world's printed matter.
Jerry Mechling Libraries are certainly not doomed, but they will have to adjust. Libraries are also likely to continue as a comfortable place to pass time and see people. David Moon Libraries still do a better job of classifying and cataloging information than the Internet, but I think that will change as the search tools get better. It would seem the value proposition for libraries will need to change, and they will need to reinvent themselves to some extent. There are still many things they will be needed for, such as collections of original material, fostering universal access and reference materials, but you would have to think the use of libraries for basic information gathering would decrease as Internet use becomes even more prevalent.