No more print encyclopedias; the world is changing.

Check out this article from the NYT: Start Writing the Eulogies for Print Encyclopedias

For better or worse, it looks like the printed encyclopedia is soon to be on it’s way out. Many other print publications will or already have followed suit. Our profession will likely always have some debate of print content versus online format and content, but libraries can’t hide from the fact that the printed encyclopedia and maybe even someday, the printed book as we know it will be fading away in times of technology.
What role must public libraries play to ensure that the gap between the computer literate customer with high speed internet access at home and the person visiting the library, seeking only simple answers, doesn’t swallow us whole?
How might you keep your library relevant in a future world of expensive and personalized reading devices in the hands of those who have and very little in the hands of those who have not?
Finding that balance in serving our populations will be a dilemma. Is it time to refocus our mission to have the greatest impact on those who need it most?