Page 26 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

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Gerald LEITNER / From gatekeeper to gateway to gate-opener: A new role for the global library field 025

Because for all that Internet access has become ubiquitous in many countries, we cannot forget
that many do not have it. Barely 50% of the world is online, and even in the best-connected
regions, there are still people who remain offline, out of choice or necessity. With more and more
services available primarily over the Internet—and indeed many sources of information which
used to be in print now only online—being cut off can have serious consequences.
Once again, libraries provide an answer here through the provision of public Internet access,
through computer terminals, through Wi-Fi. This helps not only those who do not have a home
connection, but also those who feel unsure of themselves, or who do not feel comfortable using a
family computer to look for certain information. Those who want or need the help of someone else
to do what they need to do, or to develop new skills and confidence. Those who cannot afford to
access electronic resources which are kept behind paywalls.
In short, libraries are also a gateway in the digital age—ensuring that no one, regardless of their
status, their wealth, their background, should be excluded from access to information.
And yet there is another transition, one that is also linked to the Internet. Because even as
libraries prove their ongoing value in giving people access to the Internet, to information which
might not otherwise be available to them, we cannot deny that for anyone with a smartphone,
information now seems abundant. So much of the information to which libraries used to provide a
gateway can now be found through other means.
Indeed, the very idea of a gateway implies a barrier on either side. But what if this barrier seems
to have disappeared? For example, finding out about the news, facts, even the information about
the history of the National Library of China which I was happy to use in preparing this speech, no
longer involves a visit to the library for most people.
The rise of open access means that a growing but still insufficient share of research outputs are
available to anyone with an Internet connection immediately or within a short period. Apps and
other digital tools promise to support language learning and literacy. eBook subscription services
allow people to access the latest literature from their homes.
The most short-sighted commentators quickly jump to the conclusion that in this situation, we
do not need libraries. This of course is to forget those who do not have a connection, a phone, a
data plan. But, they will argue, maybe one day they will, and libraries will only be required for
the very poorest, the most marginalised, rather than offering a universal service where everyone is
welcome.
This is what brings us to the third role of libraries—as gate-openers. I mentioned earlier that the
existence of a gate implies the existence of a barrier. And I said that this second transition—from
knowledge being open but scarce to knowledge abundance—makes it seem that that this barrier no
longer exists. That the gate is no longer relevant, open or closed. But I would disagree with this,
because it only seems that the barrier no longer exists. I want to argue rather that the barrier is still
there, it has just moved. And the gate is as necessary as ever.
This is because information abundance—infobesity as some have called it—can be just as much