The authors of the articles “Excerpt from Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library” and “Excerpt from In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology to All” present information about two important libraries. How were these libraries established? How are these libraries similar and different? Use evidence from both articles to support your response. (prompt)

Imagine yourself walking into a library, but not just any library. A library where you have unlimited access to the tools and technology you want to use, from 3-D printers and laser cutters to advanced computers. Or, imagine yourself in a library with over 164 million items ranging from books, scripts, recordings, photographs, maps, and even sheet music. Both of these seemingly “imaginary” libraries are realities today. Do Space and the Library of Congress are the focus of “Excerpt from In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology to All” and “Excerpt from Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library”. Both articles talk about how these separate libraries were established and how they are similar and different.

To start, both libraries were established differently. Do Space (the technology library) was established when the original Borders bookstore was renovated. In “Excerpt from In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology to All”, the author states that “…Omaha philanthropists donated $7 million to renovate the building—which had been a Borders bookstore—and pay for computers, 3-D printers and the Internet bandwidth.” This shows how the philanthropists created a new library that everyone could access and use, helping everyone who needed access to these tools.

On the other hand, the Library of Congress was an existing library that was destroyed, but had books donated to restore it. In “Excerpt from Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library”, the author states, “They’d burned the Library of Congress. Three thousand precious books, gone forever… He sorted, and he read. He labeled, and he read. He wrapped, and he read. And sent his books to Washington, D.C…” Thomas Jefferson used his personal collection to establish a new Library of Congress. This demonstrates his dedication to his country and how he was willing to sacrifice what he loved in order to create a library. As can be seen, both libraries have different but unique ways in which they were established.

Although both libraries have different origins, they have similarities. Both libraries focus on providing resources to the community and the public. For example, “‘We know people run businesses out of this building, and we’re OK with that,’ Morris says.” (“Excerpt from In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology to All”, paragraph 7) In other words, the founders of this new library are giving resources to the community because they provide technology that can help businesses and students. Furthermore, “He couldn’t let his country go without a library.” (“Excerpt from Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library”, paragraph 13) By donating thousands of books to the Library of Congress, Jefferson was giving his country resources and books to read. As you can see, both libraries have similarities with each other despite their difference in origins.

However, both libraries are ultimately still very different in the material they provide to the public. Do Space is a “library” that only has technology that people can use, while the Library of Congress is a library that has lots of books and materials that people can use. This is shown in paragraph 1 when Bill Kelly writes, “There are no books in this library. Instead, it’s jammed with high-end technology that it provides free to the public.” This shows how Do Space is solely focused on providing technology to the public and provides no books, like a traditional library. We see the opposite when Barb Rosenstock states, “…ten wagons took from Monticello to Washington. Each wagon carried about one ton of books. This illustrates the immense number of books in the library and how it provides lots of resources without the use of electronics. As shown above, both libraries are very different, with one using only technology and one having no technology.

In summary, the authors of the articles “Excerpt from Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library” and “Excerpt from In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology to All” both provide important information about a library. Each text talks about how they were established and their similarities and differences. Do Space is a library with only electronic resources, while the Library of Congress is a library with many books and resources without any electronics. Both founders of these libraries are the reason why we are able to see these “imaginary” libraries today. I recommend you visit one of these libraries.