On libraries:
A new story from the Carnegie Foundation, Do Libraries Still Matter?, says Yes:

"...it’s conceivable that libraries someday will function more as secure archives, repositories of expertise and communal havens for Internet access rather than as physical dispensers of books and periodicals. And if that day comes, it means only that the library dream - of universal access to knowledge and information - has taken a giant leap toward becoming an every-day reality."

(Via Tish Wells.)

And, on the news:
(Added later:) Another Carnegie Foundation report, Abandoning the News, about the future of newspapers and the traditional news media:

"Through Internet portal sites, handheld devices, blogs and instant messaging, we are accessing and processing information in ways that challenge the historic function of the news business and raise fundamental questions about the future of the news field."

(Via Dan Gillmor.)