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If you were a person who reads books, you would have a different view, I think.
My mother used to read stories to old people in an nursing home. When you are old, maybe someone will read you stories, and then you will appreciate books better.
But even before that--in a couple of years your daughter will be able to read to you!
im looking forward to the day when my daughter makes me my pb&j sandwiches.
i know the library provides things that are enjoyed by people who dont wish to pay for these things themselves. so to the users, its a good thing and worth an investment of other people's money. but it doesnt seem like it deserves the support of public money. books are pretty cheap anyway, you can even download them for free if you know how to and steal someone's ereader. you could even sit in a barnes and noble and read their books.
Well, I guess that we could implement the suggestion made some years ago by Newt Gingrich, which was nicknamed "Laptops for the poor"!
Newt theorized that it would be cheaper in the long run to give every poor person a laptop computer and free internet access than it would be to maintain a local library system in each town, along with the obvious costs for salaries, heating, book acquisitions, etc.
What Newtie failed to grasp, however, was the ridiculousness of giving a very expensive, highly portable, and--thus--highly theft-prone piece of equipment to folks who frequently live in very high-crime areas. And, of course, then there would be the reality that some of the folks who were gifted with a brand-new laptop would promptly sell it in order to buy (pick one or more) food, alcohol, drugs, lottery tickets, or...God-only-knows what else.
Sometimes what seems like an obvious solution is...not a good idea.
interesting. but would not be cheaper. isn't something like 40% of the population in poverty right now? you're going to give 40% of the population a laptop every...what, 5 years? 6 years? sure, they have come down in price, but not that much. and free broadband? first it has to be available everywhere. good idea in theory.
The only direction I see them going is for them to become internet-cafe's in areas where a large percentage of residents can't afford internet access.
With the internet and kindle so popular, books will likely become obsolete outside of higher academia.
Vinyl records are currently staging a reasonable comeback. I wouldn't count out hard copy books anytime soon. in a decade, i can see e-readers being the majority, but I don't see them ever being 100% of the market.
im looking forward to the day when my daughter makes me my pb&j sandwiches.
i know the library provides things that are enjoyed by people who dont wish to pay for these things themselves. so to the users, its a good thing and worth an investment of other people's money. but it doesnt seem like it deserves the support of public money. books are pretty cheap anyway, you can even download them for free if you know how to and steal someone's ereader. you could even sit in a barnes and noble and read their books.
libraries are a local institution of education. they provide a variety of skills programs, including teaching people how to do basic research and referencing. it isn't about not paying for it yourself, since everyone's tax dollars help pay for it. it's about continuously improving your town/city/county. whether or not you personally believe it's a worthwhile public good is a different story. but it isn't about being enjoyed by people who don't wish to pay for things themselves.
interesting. but would not be cheaper. isn't something like 40% of the population in poverty right now? you're going to give 40% of the population a laptop every...what, 5 years? 6 years? sure, they have come down in price, but not that much. and free broadband? first it has to be available everywhere. good idea in theory.
Well, of course I agree with you, but this is just a small example of the ideas that come from what Newt's fans usually describe as "his fertile mind".
And, as any farmer can tell you, when something is filled with a lot of BS, it will tend to be fertile!
We can be very thankful that everyone--Gingrich, Clinton, Gore, and perhaps others--finally realized just how incredibly stupid an idea this would have been.
Last edited by Retriever; 01-11-2012 at 04:28 PM..
i dont see any value to having a library. i think that because people realize it has no value for what people think it should be for (access to books/information), they have tried to justify their existence by becoming some kind of social welfare organization that provides free internet and other services to poor people.
But it does have great value for access to books/information. Our library was closed for 8 days during the October snowstorm due to lack of power. They had to empty the book drop bin multiple times a day because so many people returned books. The day the power came back they couldn't open because the whole front section of the library was covered with books that they couldn't scan back in the system when the power was out. Many people are indeed taking advantage of the books in the lending library.
interesting. but would not be cheaper. isn't something like 40% of the population in poverty right now? you're going to give 40% of the population a laptop every...what, 5 years? 6 years? sure, they have come down in price, but not that much. and free broadband? first it has to be available everywhere. good idea in theory.
I think it's only 13.5% of the population of the US, and something like 11% of the households (since families living in poverty tend to be larger).
I remember an article about poor people in rural areas not having access to Internet, because the low population density makes it infeasable to put up libraries in rural areas.
And yes, the library serves as a community center and one that seems to be valued by the community based on the increasing number of people coming to our programs.
But it does have great value for access to books/information. Our library was closed for 8 days during the October snowstorm due to lack of power. They had to empty the book drop bin multiple times a day because so many people returned books. The day the power came back they couldn't open because the whole front section of the library was covered with books that they couldn't scan back in the system when the power was out. Many people are indeed taking advantage of the books in the lending library.
its funny how when it comes to taxpayer provided services where users dont pay, the measure of success is how many freeloaders use the program.
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