Questions 1-11 are based on the following passage.
Librarians Help Navigate in the Digital Age
In recent years, public libraries in the United States
have experienced 1 reducing in their operating funds
due to cuts imposed at the federal, state, and local
government levels. 2 However, library staffing has been
cut by almost four percent since 2008, and the demand
for librarians continues to decrease, even though half of
public libraries report that they have an insufficient
number of staff to meet their patrons’ needs.
Employment in all job sectors in the United States is
projected to grow by fourteen percent over the next
decade, yet the expected growth rate for librarians is
predicted to be only seven percent, or half of the overall
rate. This trend, combined with the increasing
accessibility of information via the Internet, 3 has led
some to claim that librarianship is in decline as a
profession. As public libraries adapt to rapid
technological advances in information distribution,
librarians’ roles are actually expanding.
The share of library materials that is in nonprint
formats 4 is increasing steadily; in 2010, at least
18.5 million e-books were available 5 for them to
circulate. As a result, librarians must now be proficient
curators of electronic information, compiling,
6 catalog, and updating these collections. But perhaps
even more importantly, librarians function as first
responders for their communities’ computer needs. Since
one of the fastest growing library services is public access
computer use, there is great demand for computer
instruction. 7 In fact, librarians’ training now includes
courses on research and Internet search methods. Many
of whom teach classes in Internet navigation, database
and software use, and digital information literacy. While
these classes are particularly helpful to young students
developing basic research skills, 8 but adult patrons can
also benefit from librarian assistance in that they can acquire
job-relevant computer skills. 9 Free to all who utilize
their services, public libraries and librarians are especially
valuable, because they offer free resources that may be
difficult to find elsewhere, such as help with online job
searches as well as résumé and job material development.
An overwhelming number of public libraries also report
that they provide help with electronic government
resources related to income taxes, 10 law troubles, and
retirement programs.
In sum, the Internet does not replace the need for
librarians, and librarians are hardly obsolete. 11 Like
books, librarians have been around for a long time, but
the Internet is extremely useful for many types of
research.