British libraries face a similar situation, but I don't expect libraries to disappear altogether and they will probably enjoy a new phase of usage. As another commenter notes, libraries are really community education centers and there's currently a crisis in higher education, which is becoming increasingly unaffordable for a large number of people whilst at the same time the economy still demands well educated "knowledge workers". Probably not all of this gap in education provision will be able to be filled by the internet. So there is a need for something lower cost than current university courses, which doesn't put students into unrealistic amounts of debt but which delivers a comparable level of education and a qualification that carries some confidence.