The “Revival of the Library” In 2020
Dr. Drue Hartmann
23 April 2025
Journal Entry #1
The day is April 23rd in the year 2025; it has been 5 years since the invention the PAH Code System. I have worked as the Head Director of the Lake Forest University Library for 20 years now. Within the past five years, my colleagues and I watched in awe as the number of visitors to the library decreased significantly and continuously.
A brief cross-analysis of our attendance rates from 2020 to 2025 revealed that our attendance rates have dropped by over 90% in the last five years, which is why I decided to write this journal entry. Generally speaking, the Lake Forest Library has experienced a staggering decrease in its overall attendance; less people are coming to the library to conduct research and, as a result, the intellectual community of our library is practically extinct.
The PAH Code System was invented by the United States government in 2020, after hundreds of articles were published that claimed libraries are dead. The letters P.A.H. stand for “print at home” and the code system enables users to print out any library publication from their at-home printers. Rather than going to the library to retrieve direct copies of scholarly works, students now just use the library to obtain their PAH Pin Numbers. Once the pin numbers are obtained, students just plug the number into their device and wait 1–2 minutes as a new copy of the work is printed out for them. This revolutionary, free code system has altered the structure of the library for the worse. Rather than “borrowing books” and conducting their research in the library, most students just download their sources and conduct research in isolation. The only reason students come to the library anymore is to obtain their pins, but once this is done, they typically turn around and walk right back to their rooms. Furthermore, the Premium PAH Code System was released in 2023, which (for $10 a month), allows students to retrieve their PAH Pin Numbers online, effectively eliminating any need for a physical library.
The PAH Code System was invented in an attempt to “revive” the presence of libraries in American Society, but after analyzing the short and long term effects of this innovation, virtually all librarians would agree that it has done just the opposite. Over 6,000 libraries have been shut down between 2020 and 2025; those that still exist solely function as PAH Pin distributors for the students who cannot afford the premium membership. As a result, the intellectual community of the modern library is on the verge of extinction.
The reaction of the academic community as a whole has been quite varied. While there are still a few professors and librarians who have clung onto the traditional methods of research, most members of the younger generation have quickly accepted the PAH Code System into their lives. According to a recent review of usage, about 90% of the users of the system have purchased the premium membership, and this number is predicted to rise over the next few years. As a result, many scholars have predicted that libraries as a whole will be extinct by 2030.
A few innovative library directors have attempted to overcome this challenge by creating online communities for students to discuss their research, but participation has been extremely limited and most of these websites have been shut down.
An underlying feeling of hopelessness is currently floating around the modern library system in the United States. Although there have been several attempts to restore the traditional framework of the library, these efforts have been extremely unsuccessful; and most of these attempts are countered with a new update to the code system.