Decades ago before the Internet was invented, students and scholars spent hours in libraries researching on what they needed to know. Books had to be hand-picked like fruits in a courtyard, and had to be manually analysed to obtain required information. In modern times, the Internet connects everyone globally into a seamless cyber room. All information is stored in a cupboard infinity times higher than its tangible counterparts, and can be instantly accessed with the click of a mouse. Nowadays, books can be read online, like ordering fruits from an online store. Information can be obtained online, and with the revolutionary search engine Google, information can be accessed and found easily, as well as stored intangibly, saving on space, but compromising on credibility. In this essay, I will explore the advantages and disadvantages of an “online library”.
The total number of books takes up lots of space on Earth, and if stored as data in an intangible place, space consumption would immediately decrease over a thousand fold. The internet has countless advantages over the library, as information is highly accessible, and using the search function is easier and more convenient than manually sifting out books and information one needs. Information stored on the Internet is so abundant that anyone would be spoilt for choice; also, information from others can be shared on the Internet as well. Rather than taking a long trip down to the Internet, one can just seat in front of his desk, staring at his computer screen, reading through countless of websites.
There is certainly no doubt that the Internet offers many online resources, of which it is inevitable to find contrasting sources and information. The Internet is a free place, where anyone is free to post up whatever information he/she wants to. However, because information can be posted up by people who are not professionals in that particular field of research, or by any uneducated person, information on the Internet is not credible. It is to the viewer’s discretion whether or not he or she wants to use the information, regardless of true or false. It is common in the Internet to find “spam” on the web, a term used to classify useless, false or crude information. A good example of a non-credible website would be Wikipedia; Wikipedia, though it is an online encyclopaedia of knowledge, all the information up there is posted by random people around the world.
Also, many credible sources of information on the Internet are not free, and one must pay membership fee for access to certain information. In a library, all the books are free to view, and information is free to access. Because of this, the library is a far more credible source of information, as books require much real research to produce, while the credible sources of information on the Internet are not free to view.
Also, the Internet has no proper organisation. Unlike a library, the Internet is separated based on websites, and not classified into different categories based on information type. The library, on the other hand, offers convenient classification of information. If one wanted to research on a particular subject, he just needed to look up the subject code, find the allocated shelf, and the information he needed was there. However, on the Internet, if one wanted a particular type of information, he might have a tough time finding what he was looking for. Also, the library offers services such as librarians, where queries could be directed to.
An issue raised with the Internet would be copyright infringement. This is very common in schools; when a student has to do up a research paper, he can simply lift information off the web without even understanding what he just copied. The library, however, offers students a selection of books for him to read through, understand the subject matter, and rewrite what he has learnt. Because of this, dishonesty and a lack of integrity can be a result of dependence on the Internet.
In conclusion, I feel that the Internet will never replace a library as a storehouse of information, as this is due to the fact that the Internet is full of dishonest, immoral people who irresponsibly put things up, and copy others’ works. The library offers an authentic store of information, catering to a wide range of needs. I believe that it is of utmost importance for one to strike a healthy balance between surfing the Internet and reading through books for information. The Internet can bring about convenience, but the library is the one which always brings about credibility!
No comments:
Post a Comment