I admit that I'm aged and worn and disillusioned. I value good writing, of whatever sort. I have an avaricious appetite for it.

I also have a serious antipathy to engaging in commitments to continuous payment for anything. I even tried to save enough to purchase a house outright but admit that I failed and did take out a mortgage.

However, when I learned to live, I also learned in an age before credit cards, when ordinary bank accounts actually received interest and 'savings' accounts even more interest. Buying things on credit was known as 'hire-purchase' and meant that until the final payment was made, the item was not yours.

What I leaned, therefore, was not to purchase what I couldn't pay for without any detriment to my circumstances, entering into debt or living beyond my means.

The result was that my intellectual consumption was fed by libraries and the purchase of precious books when I could afford them - mostly from the many wondrous used book stores in lowly arcades and poorer commercial areas. Not only did this give me the delight of a physical entity which I could re-read, lend or colour my environment but perhaps more importantly was the serendipitous experience which opened my mind and introduced me to so much wonder, entertainment and information that I may, (probably), otherwise would have missed.

The fact that my disposable income was not pre-committed also gave me a ready ability to change and follow new directions, even coming to see that some of my thoughts, preferences, beliefs, or views had been erroneous, flawed or downright wrong.

So, if your title proves to be an accurate prediction and I'm still around to witness it, (doubtful), I will be pleased.

Thanks for an interesting, informative and thought provoking article.

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Post publication edit— and, incidentally, support your local library. That information has increased exponentially, along with its accessibility to the average person, has not meant that all are now able to quickly become well-informed. On the contrary, without search skills and strategies to clearly identify the information one needs or the ability to analyse and recognise its level of authority and integrity, this growth of sources and access can be, (and I believe is), more of an impediment to a better informed and more intelligent society.

Research shows, for instance, that most people will search Google around 4 times a day but will not scroll beyond the first screen of results and over 25% of them will select the first result.

Librarians have specific skills, understanding and experience that facilitates their ability to both find and evaluate the suitability of what is needed. They are, indeed, able to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’ — I suggest that is one of the most necessary qualities in an age of information overload.