Issues with Books and Research at the Family History Library?

If you are a casual or one-time user of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah you probably have not seen or appreciated the changes that have occurred over the past few years. The first dramatic change occurred when the Library drastically reduced its staff of professional, full-time specialized consultants. Most of these genealogical professionals had worked at the Library for years and were well-known in their research areas. In order to have knowledgeable and "expert" consultation at the Library with the few consultants left, the Library instituted a central hub with the patrons being notified of the availability of a consultant by a "beeper" like in a restaurant. My own experience has been that getting answers to simple questions about the availability or physical location of something in the Catalog has been made more difficult. Some of the missionary helpers are knowledgeable, but most know little more than the basics about the FamilySearch.org Family Tree.

Some of the most noticeable changes are being caused by the ongoing digitization projects. These changes reflect the technological, social, and cultural changes that are associated with computerization. For example, over the past few years, physical areas within the Library have converted to computer stations. This transformation has recently culminated in the reconstruction of the first floor as a Family Discovery Center.

Due to the ongoing digitization of the books in the Library, many of the digitized books have been removed from the shelves. However, this has caused a problem for some of the researchers. For example, I was searching for a book I knew had been digitized and got this message:

I thought the Family History Library was a library. Most libraries today have a way to "checkout" books even when the book is subject to a copyright claim. Websites such as the OpenLibrary.org and OverDrive.com have a physical copy of the book and can then check the book out to users. There are a lot of legal hurdles, but with an existing online collection, it should be possible to set up a way to check out the books. 

I am also hearing a persistent "rumor" that the Family History Library has about 40,000 books that have "disappeared" from the shelves and cannot be accessed in the catalog. Researchers have said that inquiries about the books remain unanswered. This and other changes have become important issues to some of the experienced, professional genealogists who have been using the Library for years. There seems to be a definite move away from supporting the experienced researchers. My own experience seems to indicate a decrease in the level of support needed for serious research as opposed to using the Portal programs and FamilySearch.org. 

This whole issue goes back to the question of the future of libraries in a digital world. But specifically with the Family History Library, it has to do with whether or not it will remain a destination for serious genealogical research in the future.