Are Web Answers the Way of the Future?

Just about everything can be found on the Web, from going to school to shopping, talking to friend to playing games. Complete strangers will ask questions which normally they would not ask those in their inner circle, based upon the autonomy the Web holds. Many professional networking sites will allow users to pose questions, thus allowing other users to provide answers based upon their knowledge or experience. Multiple question and answer sites exist throughout the Web allowing the young and old alike to look up information that one would once find in encyclopedias or the library. As people are beginning to find the ease of searching for answers online, does that mean we as a society may see an end to the brick and mortar library?

The United States is beginning to answer this very question, not with regard to the libraries as of yet, but with the postal system. As computers begin to dominate the households across America, many people are finding the ease of using e-mail to remain in touch with those whom they would have normally sent a card or letter. Businesses are willing to provide their clients the paperless option to help reduce the clutter of paperwork being sent to the client; but also to reduce the overhead a company may have. The United States Postal Service has recognized this change of business practices, and are considering halting there Saturday mail distribution service to reduce operating costs to the United States government. Pending upon the amount of funding saved, e-books and Web answers may be the answer to the funding requirements of local libraries.

One of the largest arguments which local libraries may use to challenge the suggestion of library fund reduction is the legitimacy of Web-based information. Often the Web answers are answered by colleagues, friends or complete strangers who might be posting an answer to which they are fully not versed or factual. Answering with opinions or personal biases could result in incorrect or uninformed answers to a question which a legitimate answer is required. Because of the uncertainty of the answers provided, many academic institutions will not accept answers which are derived from these web based answer sites as they may not be based upon legitimate fact.

Yet, as times continue to change and more people spend greater amounts of time behind their computer than in a library, we may begin seeing the future library versus Internet debate occur. So, the next time you sit down behind your computer and decide to look up some information, take a moment and think about where the answers are coming from. Are the answers fact based or opinion based, or could it be an answer that maybe you had posted once before?