I don't think restricting access to information to the wealthier population will result in a society you want to live in (I may be wrong, and I am straying clos

I don't think restricting access to information to the wealthier population will result in a society you want to live in (I may be wrong, and I am straying close to politics, so I will leave it there). As others have noted, libraries are bustling. Tons of people that cannot afford their own internet/computer, study groups, people that don't know how to search for information at the reference desk, free classes on computer use, resume writing, job seeking, after hour programs for school kids, study groups, SAT prep, story hour, readings from local authors, sometimes film, book reading groups, it goes on and on. I tend to avail myself of their electronic catalog more than the physical catalog, though there are just countless books which are not electronic yet. And, they are great for more ephemeral needs. Grab a couple travel books for you next vacation, for example, or a book on home wiring when you need to do a one time repair. Libraries are one of the few ways our Government really invests in knowledge beyond school age, and I for one would miss it terribly, as would a huge number of people in my community, given how full it always is and how hard it is to find a table, or how long the wait list is for a book I want to read.