Module 4: Concept 32: What is a virtual Library?

A library is, fundamentally, a system organised according to shared, accepted sets of classifications and organisations, and on the basis that it is impossible to access the information except through categories (either in a catalogue or by browsing collocated books on a shelf). The World Wide Web has no such shared system, and is technologically capable of a large degree of searching for information directly – ‘full text searching’. What advanced users seek to do is to exploit the advantages of the idea of a library in a way that suits their personal needs, effectively creating personal virtual libraries.

As an advanced internet user we should look upon the description of the internet as a library as being fallacious. It is simply not the case - at most we should view the description as being a harmless metaphor but certainly not a literal meaning.

The categorisation techniques used in actual libraries are far too technical and accurate to be applied to a decentralised body like the internet.

Bringing this level of sceptisism to the idea of viewing the internet as a library can only help us enhance and challenge our evaluation techniques as we search for information on the net.