Yes. The underlying purpose of public libraries is to support an informed citizenry and society. They provide an opportunity to acquire knowledge to anyone who

Yes. The underlying purpose of public libraries is to support an informed citizenry and society. They provide an opportunity to acquire knowledge to anyone who wants it, irrespective of their economic standing. Removing them would have the effect of further reducing social mobility. Even if we took steps to ensure that every person has a digital device, there will still be value in having a physical sanctuary dedicated to that purpose for people who need to share their living space. Compared to a university, libraries lie on the extreme DIY side of the spectrum. It’s free, but they’re less labor-intensive. If I were to rework the library system for the 21st century, I’d focus on making it more useful for people retraining because of AI altering supply/demand for careers. The only constraint I’d put on it would be to keep it universally accessible. Charging and screening enrollment is for public colleges and universities that additionally provide a service to assist in acquiring knowledge. Actually, I’ll go one step further and suggest that a hackerspace / makerspace like TechShop or Hacker Dojo could enrich the surrounding community in much the same way as a library does. They’re just focused around loaning access to modern tools and technology rather than books.