Indeed, libraries in the United States are enjoying a renaissance, even as commercial entities like super bookstores, blockbuster video outlets, and the Internet abound. In fact, users of these services often overlap. Libraries are the only place where information is freely available for everyone in every community. Libraries provide communities with precise, replicable discovery tools and materials on every subject from all perspectives in a full range of formats and languages. Users can readily identify and link to these resources from home, work, or their local libraries and then borrow or copy them.
Libraries also archive and preserve older titles.
Thanks to technology and worldwide collaboration, today s libraries have migrated from a state of scarcity to a state of abundance, transcending their geographic, legal and political boundaries, with librarians serving as knowledge navigators and learning facilitators. What began in the 1950's as the automation of materials processing led to the deployment of computerized databases for locating information in the 1970's. More recently, libraries have offered direct public access to the Internet, supplemented by the purchase of commercial databases plus conversion of their own unique collections to digital formats, thereby creating digital libraries available anywhere, anytime. Over the years ahead, libraries will share more and more resources, offering seamless access to a rich collection of valuable, interesting resources. Experts will guide users precisely to the materials that meet their particular needs.