Do forgive the lack of link attribution, can’t remember where I came across this. 33 Reasons [tag]Librarians[/tag] are Still Extremely Important.

I thought this was an especially good point:

32. [tag]Libraries[/tag] are a stopgap to anti-intellectualism

It’s not that the internet is anti-intellectual; its academic roots and the immense quantity of scholarly sites certainly attest to it being a smart medium.

But for some, the alluring immediacy of the internet can lead to the false impression that only immediate, interactive and on-the-spot online discussion is of value. Dusty books on tall shelves then seem to represent stagnant knowledge, and their curators (librarians), behind the times. [tag]Books[/tag] and reading easily gets regarded as elitist and inactive, while blogging becomes the here-and-now.

But, as mentioned earlier, not everything is on the internet. Access to books and theories from hundreds of years of cultural history is essential to progress. Without this, technology could become the ironic tool of the sensational and retrograde cultural tendencies. Preserving libraries to store knowledge and teach the limitations of technology can help prevent the hubris and narcissism of technological novelty.

It’s quite a good list, although I did a doubletake and had a good laugh after initially misreading the title of #28 as “Librarians are stable…” It actually reads, “28. Libraries are stable while the web is transient.” Sensible? Usually. Stable? That’s the subject of much debate…