4 ms·

Public libraries (in the traditional, physical-book-filled sense) are probably a doomed institution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage http

Public libraries (in the traditional, physical-book-filled sense) are probably a doomed institution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage Maybe they can hold on as free Internet cafes, since that seems to be how many people actually use them today. All that would be missing would be the availability of free or subsidized tea, drip coffee, and maybe some sort of nutritious but inexpensive to prepare hot soup.

gnat 15y ago
That Wikipedia article blurs research libraries (like you'd find in a university) with public libraries. Almost all the hard numbers they quote are about research libraries, but the libraries that most of us care about (the ones that act as a democratic backstop for access to information) are public libraries. The real thing to watch is the countercyclical nature of public libraries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage#Economic_effects_on_library_usage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage#Econom... in that article). As the economy worsens, public library use increases. Not just for reading material, but for the public services the libraries provide: free law clinics, resume-writing help, etc. I'm not sure what your local public library is like, but in our small town library is busy all the time. People are borrowing paper books, using the Internet-connected computers, and getting help from librarians. Doomed? Only if we let them; only if we think it's okay to reinstate barriers around lifelong learning.
- briandon 15y ago
  When I've ventured to my local public libraries, except for the children's section, the stacks have been pretty dusty. I haven't borrowed a book from a library myself in at least 5 years. I purchase a lot of books (paper books) -- mostly from Amazon but occasionally from brick and mortar bookstores -- but like to make notes and write questions in the margins or on Post-its and tend to keep them for later reference.
- briandon 15y ago
  Also, public libraries aren't necessarily the best venues for Internet usage, free law clinics, resume-writing/job assistance, etc. A community center that also has a library component, maybe.
  - king_jester 15y ago
    Typically people who use the libraries for things like a free law clinic or assistance with writing a resume don't have an alternative resource. In my area our local library does a week of tax preparation for individuals at tax time with volunteers, and they are so busy that they have to turn people away each day. Many of those individuals simply cannot shell out the money to go to a tax prep service and don't have the resources or knowledge to do taxes themselves.

gnat 15y ago

That Wikipedia article blurs research libraries (like you'd find in a university) with public libraries. Almost all the hard numbers they quote are about research libraries, but the libraries that most of us care about (the ones that act as a democratic backstop for access to information) are public libraries. The real thing to watch is the countercyclical nature of public libraries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage#Economic_effects_on_library_usage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_library_usage#Econom... in that article). As the economy worsens, public library use increases. Not just for reading material, but for the public services the libraries provide: free law clinics, resume-writing help, etc. I'm not sure what your local public library is like, but in our small town library is busy all the time. People are borrowing paper books, using the Internet-connected computers, and getting help from librarians. Doomed? Only if we let them; only if we think it's okay to reinstate barriers around lifelong learning.

briandon 15y ago
When I've ventured to my local public libraries, except for the children's section, the stacks have been pretty dusty. I haven't borrowed a book from a library myself in at least 5 years. I purchase a lot of books (paper books) -- mostly from Amazon but occasionally from brick and mortar bookstores -- but like to make notes and write questions in the margins or on Post-its and tend to keep them for later reference.
briandon 15y ago
Also, public libraries aren't necessarily the best venues for Internet usage, free law clinics, resume-writing/job assistance, etc. A community center that also has a library component, maybe.
- king_jester 15y ago
  Typically people who use the libraries for things like a free law clinic or assistance with writing a resume don't have an alternative resource. In my area our local library does a week of tax preparation for individuals at tax time with volunteers, and they are so busy that they have to turn people away each day. Many of those individuals simply cannot shell out the money to go to a tax prep service and don't have the resources or knowledge to do taxes themselves.