The role of public libraries; recommended links...
Thanks to idiotgrrl for sending me a print copy of Wade Roush's 2005 article, "The Infinite Library: Does Google's plan to digitize millions of print books spell the death of libraries; or their rebirth?", which is also online, at http://www.techreview.com/Infotech/14408/ . Here's a sample, from page 56:

"Publishers and authors count on strict copyright laws to prevent copying and reuse of their intellectual property until after they've recouped their investments. But libraries, which allow many readers to use the same book, have always enjoyed something of an exemption from copyright laws. Now the mass digitization of library books threatens to make their content just as portable -- or piracy prone, depending on one's point of view -- as digital music. And that directly involves libraries in the clash between big media companies and those who would like all information to be free -- or at least as cheap as possible. Whatever happens, transforming millions more books into bits is sure to change the habits of library patrons. What, then, will become of libraries themselves?"

Also online, from the Krafty Librarian, is a post about a 2006 special issue of Internet Reference Services Quarterly on the library/Google relationship and interaction, at http://kraftylibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/09/libraries-and-google.html#comments . This post has the complete table of contents for the issue, with links to the articles. [The links (unless you're a subscriber or purchaser) take you to abstracts rather than full texts; no abstract is available for the introduction.]

And a bit farther afield, for those who are deeply interested in the subject, there's George R. Plosker's 2003 article, "The Information Industry Revolution: Implications for Librarians," at http://www.infotoday.com/online/nov03/plosker.shtml .