The Independent Library Report for England argues that, with help from the U.K. central government, public libraries must expand digital services, such as e-lending and free WiFi if they are to continue to be viable. Commissioned in February by the U.K. government and headed by publisher William Sieghart, the report also calls for the creation of a task force to come up with a unified strategy for implementing the changes.
According to the report, those changes must include standard Wi-Fi: "The wi-fi connection should be delivered in a comfortable, retail-standard environment, with the usual amenities of coffee, sofas and toilets."
The new Halifax Central Library opened this month with not one but two coffee bars, comfy seating, and lots of light. The ratio of bookshelves to square footage is considerably reduced in comparison to older public libraries. I imagine this reflects the increasing importance of Internet access, but in some ways I am disappointed. My idea of a great library is one that is full of books. As an amateur academic I still require a good-sized university library if I want to do any serious research and AFAIK public libraries have never attempted to acquire comparable collections.
The Internet itself will one day be "the" portal to the putative entirety of human knowledge, so it is difficult to say what will become of "the library" as a public/private institution. At some future date molecular memory technology should enable storage densities such that the entirety of mankind's published works might be contained in a conveniently portable appliance, which would be nice for several reasons. What is to become of libraries proper is anyone's guess.