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The mythical Internet library

The World Wide Web was developed to bring order to the chaotic Internet, which had been lurking in academia and the government since the 1960s. Because the Internet was regarded primarily as an information source — more than an entertainment medium or a community space — it was natural to imagine the quick construction of a universal, all-inclusive online library. Through the years, I’ve often heard people mistakenly speak of the Internet as an information realm in which one could find anything, read any book, and access all knowledge. But the truth splintered away from that ideal.

First, the Web became a distinct and autonomous entity with its own content, disregarding for the most part the academic material that was already online. Second, regular folks who stormed into the new virtual playground were interested in other, more recreational pursuits than learning. So the mecca of unlimited access to knowledge withered away from reality — and even from the imagination.

I am not going to imply that Google single-handedly manifests an Alexandrian library of human knowledge (yet). However, through the astounding accuracy of its search results, Google does ease access to an unprecedented breadth of knowledge. (And the nascent Google Print program, which seeks to digitize entire libraries of books for searching, certainly contributes to the “Internet library” ideal.) To whatever extent the Internet comprises the communal content of the human mind, Google illuminates the gray matter with clarity and usefulness. Want to know something? Google it. That’s the modern recipe for learning in this information-saturated age