Notes from the Noodle Factory

21st-Century Librarianship in Search of New Paradigms

Abstract

Kurt Vonnegut compared a library to a noodle factory, noting that in a society where a majority of people do not really enjoy reading, “Noodles are okay. Libraries are okay. They are rather neutral good news.” Such indifference could be tolerated three decades ago when libraries still maintained primacy as central repositories of information. However, in this era of existential crisis, and as libraries scramble for “relevance,” the urgent question arises: “What new paradigms must be formulated to define the mission of
the 21st-century library and delineate how that mission can better support both education and culture?