Information
The world is more full of information, words and statistics than ever before. Wherever we turn we are confronted with masses of information and data, and the hardest task is sorting through what is relevant, and what is not, as well as identifying what information can be relied upon, and what may be from dubious or unconfirmed origins.
Although much of our information is digital, libraries still preserve our heritage, our daily information and our long term statistical information such as the national census. Libraries cannot hope to contain the full wealth of information in the world, but instead act as catalogues for that information which serves long term needs, and presents our education, our politics and our changing world in easy to digest snapshots dating back many generations.
Our children are now immersed in a world of data, more so than any of us who remember a world before the internet. Between us and them lies the digital divide, an educational experience quite unlike our own. Our children are the first of the digital age, facing unique challenges and fascinating opportunities.