Editor,
I would like to respond to Bradley Knockel's comment as quoted in the Daily Lobo's article about the Zimmerman fire in Monday's newspaper, in which he said that libraries are outdated.
This kind of statement bewilders and disappoints me. Having grown up with access to libraries all my life, the thought of not having them seems unthinkable to me. Online databases are convenient, yes, but to dismiss physical libraries outright is a dangerous concept.
It will take a long time for all of the rare books, periodicals, manuscripts and other materials in Zimmerman - not to mention all the other libraries of the world - to be scanned and transferred online. Until this has been done, there is no substitute for the real thing.
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but reading online hurts my eyes, and I miss that palpable feeling of a book in my hands.
Also, there is no substitute in the virtual world for the personal contact and insight of librarians.
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Finally, call me paranoid, but I see the complacency associated with referring to libraries as outdated as a slippery slope leading to ignorance.
As long as there are libraries that are uncensored and open to the public, there's hope for free speech and knowledge.
Leslie McMurtry
UNM student and library employee
