Books once hoarded in subterranean stacks will be scanned into computers and made available to anyone, anywhere, almost instantly, over high-speed networks … Instead of fortresses of knowledge, there will be an ocean of information. Realizing this vision will transform libraries from guardians of tradition to catalysts of a vast change.
Predictor: Browning, John
Prediction, in context:In a 1993 article for Wired magazine, John Browning takes a look at the future of libraries in a networked age. He writes:”The world’s great libraries share a great vision: Books once hoarded in subterranean stacks will be scanned into computers and made available to anyone, anywhere, almost instantly, over high-speed networks. A researcher in San Francisco might, without leaving the desk, reach into the database of the British Library to grab a copy of the Lindisfarne Gospels, while another researcher in London rummages through the collections of the Library of Congress trying to find various Federalist Papers. Instead of fortresses of knowledge, there will be an ocean of information. Realizing this vision will transform libraries from guardians of tradition to catalysts of a vast change.”
Biography:John Browning served as executive editor of Wired UK, the English-language European edition of Wired, the magazine established to chronicle the digital revolution. Prior to Wired, Browning spent 12 years at The Economist, writing about business, technology and economics. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1993
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Libraries/Databases
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Libraries Without Walls for Books Without Pages: Electronic Libraries and the Information Economy
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/libraries_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Stotler, Larry