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I think a society shouldn't leave the responsibility of giving access to internet to those who don't get that at home (if they have one or even if they have a d
by fastasucan 3y ago
I think a society shouldn't leave the responsibility of giving access to internet to those who don't get that at home (if they have one or even if they have a device) to McDonalds. Let alone a place to work, to sit and read, public lectures, meeting rooms etc. Bookstores serve your vision of a library btw.
- lupusreal 3y agoI'm certainly not opposed to libraries having free internet access (everyone else does, so they might as well too) but they should remember that their foremost purpose is giving the public access to books. They should let the vague "access to knowledge" talk become an excuse to deemphasize books. And no, bookstores do not fit my vision of libraries. I specifically mentioned libraries hosting old local history books and other documents. Stuff that is long out of print, many times was never "in print" in the first place. In libraries that haven't suffered the purges as badly you can find things like binders filled with documents that a local history buff a century ago compiled, detailing town history a century before that. What bookstore has such a wealth of information? Once libraries get rid of that stuff, it's usually gone forever.
- cratermoon 3y agoIt's not just access to the internet. It's access to journals, databases, and other sources that are legitimately costly. Individuals can't even get access to ProQuest, for example, because they sell institutional subscriptions.