Libraries closing in the US

The economy must have reached a really low point in America when they have to start closing down Libriaries.

libwww.freelibrary.org...

I can't though believe that they would close down the libraries in a city the size of Philadelphia.

Where are the green shoots of economic recovery?

Whatever is going on in America I hope it doesn't spread to the UK.

I hate to say this but I think libraries are a thing of the past. The same with newspapers. The INet has made them obsolete.

I bet sparknotes users are happy about this! As a book nerd myself, this really, really sucks. 2 million prisoners in our prisons and little results of betterment for the majority of them while libraries are being closed down. All the economic recovery goes for the bankers, not for the people.

Originally posted by damwel
I hate to say this but I think libraries are a thing of the past. The same with newspapers. The INet has made them obsolete.

I have to disagree. The convenience of the internet is excellent as it is bad in that any student can go online and slap together an essay from various sites without doing any actual research. You learn a lot more from going to a library, picking a topic, and seeing various books on it, skimming through them all, finding more interesting things than you would online as internet sources can be unreliable. I like books and library. They are a break for the eyes viewing one screen to the next such as going from your computer to a Kindle, from one machine to another and another. There is realness in going to libraries.

Newspapers, on the other hand, I would say they are of the past but who gets up for breakfast and unfold their laptop to read? lol. Anyway, libraries should remain a vital part of society.

Originally posted by damwel
I hate to say this but I think libraries are a thing of the past. The same with newspapers. The INet has made them obsolete.

I suspect that while what you are saying is true, it's only for the time being. Eventually people will return to print. Maybe not newspapers (unless they actually start employing the tools of journalism again) but certainly books.

The Internet is fine and dandy, as long as you don't mind someone being able to turn the pages for you, or skip content entirely.

reply to post by damwel


Whilst to some extent I agree with you don't forget that many libraries are used just as much by the young as the elderly. However the main concern is that they are closing the libraries and the computer rooms and facilities for students, they are gong to stop providing books for schools and other areas.

So they are also shutting down free or cheap internet access for the poor, which is one of the worst aspects of this.

Print media is a dying breed as soon as devices like the Kindle really take off. The fact the the matter is that digital just makes 10x more sense for textual information because you can store 10x the ammount of data in a fraction of the space when comparing say USB storage devices against a shelf full of library books.

I have two books on my USB key right now totaling roughly 1800 pages of information on just two topics, yet they take up less space than a pack of cigarettes, in order to carry that same information around with me when at work and doing side projects it would add several pounds to a bag or backpack.

As for comments about " who gets up for breakfast and unfold their laptop to read?" its actually far more common than you think, many people go check their blackberry or email first thing in the morning rather than turn on the TV or walk out front and get the paper. Plus for all the green freaks out there you have the benefit of not creating mountains of printed volumes which may only be read once or twice (such as most fiction novels) and end up being wasted space and resources.

beat you to it but no one seamed to care I guess i was wrong
thread501166/pg1

I say Libraries need a 21st century update.... Keep the books and whatnot cuz really nothing replaces reading a gool ol book...But why not create some kind of kool new computer interactiojn... Add more computer and hotspots and such, make it more of an information center but updated...
If people knew more of what was at the Library they would probably go more often... then again the internet is slowly killing any other forms of media as the internet succesfully manages to improve upon old standards

reply to post by keldas


I do feel for the library needs such as myself. I really don't understand how the act of not funding these programs could be beneficial to the structure of a community as a whole. But, the govs have the say I guess.

As a user of the Free Library of Philadelphia, you understand how much this institution enriches our city and region. People of all ages and backgrounds value our branches as havens for learning, cultural activities, and social interaction. A library is a safe space where people, ideas, and communities can grow.

www.freelibrary.org...

Our local library is prospering very nicely, they have upgraded and are still doing the job. They will be INet friendly too, but if this is the eventual out come, don't think I like it too much now?

reply to post by Akoostikreiki


I was using the library systems way before the Inet was here, and it doesn't detract from the interaction of silence and a good book scenario sitting in a quiet and secluded place in the corner of the Public Library.
The books don't crash either, but I would have to think they could be regulated unprecedentedly by the PTB when they are initiated into Inet form.
May be another conspiracy for furthering "Big Brothers" control efforts.
All I can say is "Remember what happened to Alexandria Egypt!!".
IMHO...

It doesn't surprise me. Libraries are one of the first things to go when budgets balloon. When I lived in California 15 years ago they shut all the libraries doors when Orange County when bankrupt. Remember that?

reply to post by ashnomadonte


Sorry I missed your post.

Its ok depending on electronic books and the internet but what happens when the internet goes down or if that solar surge they are epecting in a few years does actually happen, although I suppose by then access to libraries wil be the least of anyone's worries.

However I know I enjoyed and still do enjoy visiting the library and would miss them if the ever went.

The other part of my post was directed more at the state of America we are obviously trailling America on this and I hope that the UK does not have to also close access to libraries.

reply to post by venividivici


I guess before I had read this thread , I wasn't aware of all it encompassed for the advent of these thing's being the first on the financial chopping block...

In the meantime, students will only be allowed access to the library when accompanied by a teacher, and they will not be allowed to check out any materials.

www.schoollibraryjournal.com...

Seems as if this really is happening at an alarming rate, too bad for the youngster's that wont be able to experience such a wonderful place as the public library. Crying shame really!!

Truth be told, local libraries nowadays are simply places for the homeless to seek refuge in bad weather, and public toilets so they can wash on a regular basis.

Any person who WANTS a computer can find all the information they need right at their fingertips.

Yes books are awesome, we all love books. Computers are taking over.

Originally posted by brocket99
Truth be told, local libraries nowadays are simply places for the homeless to seek refuge in bad weather, and public toilets so they can wash on a regular basis.

Any person who WANTS a computer can find all the information they need right at their fingertips.

Yes books are awesome, we all love books. Computers are taking over.

I think in urban areas that is true but rural and suburban libraries in my area overflow with toddlers in reading programs, tweens and highschoolers doing research for school projects and seniors reading newspapers. My kids got addicted to reading becuase of the selection of books at our library

Long live free books!!!

reply to post by ashnomadonte


There is a more disturbing question over the closure of libraries, someone in this thread mentioned remember the libraries of Alexander. In more recent histroy we have the burning of books by Hitler and the Nazis, whilst they aren't yet burning books they are going one step further by not allowing people access to the books and poor people access to the internet.

Just imagine in a years time if the libraries were closed and the internet closed down and newspapers and tv only reported the party line. History does have a way of repeating itself and America is leading the way to a future that makes 1984 look like a picnic.

reply to post by keldas


But what about those of us with internet in the home? The pore can still access at school and at work all thoe imitated as it is.

Still I agree what happens when government takes control of the net? What than do we all fall in line with the MSM and buy the party line? Or do we cut them off at the pass and say enough is enough?

Or vast repositories of knowledge are under attack imo we are at a crossroads do we let this happen or do we fight. If banks can get a bail out why not libraries what makes them less deserving?

reply to post by keldas


I think this is a combination of things actually.

The use of public libraries has been in decline for many years as far as I am aware.
Spending cuts make it a perfect target for saving money.
And with the increased access to the net, fewer and fewer people will be using them in the future.

It is a shame. But it just goes to show, if you don't use it you lose it.

As a writer, I regularly have to research various subjects, and I don't find the internet anywhere near as useful as physical books. Information is often unreliable and I have to find direct quotes from print to be sure. Or I have to find corroborative information from more than one source.

Where I could work my way through several books and find all the information I need, and more, leading to interesting new paths, on the Internet I find it takes twice as long, the results from searches are misleading and generally have the aim of selling something, and when an example from print is found you often have to pay for it.

It's not acceptable in my opinion to remove such a public service and leave a void. If this is the way of the future, other avenues have to be supplied to provide the public access to literature.
The internet is not free in most places, and there are no thorough websites where complete libraries can be accessed free of charge.
That is what we need.

I've been a big city public librarian, a private university librarian and am now a small-town public librarian.

The big-city libraries are notoriously overextended and underused. They're built and halfass funded by politicians who want to keep their offices. They're funded mainly from the redistributed and extorted pool of federal loot.

The city libraries are constantly in threat of closure. Most city systems consist of a large central library and a ridiculous number of satellite libraries. The satellites are horrible money pits that suck up funds from the residents of the city, state and country. They're always used as threats to convince people they need to pay more in taxes that will continue to go to such waste.

Dont get all huffy that the cities are closing their satellite branches. That's what they want you to do. Then you'll cry and beg for more taxation. You'll get that taxation but the threat of closure will never go away. This is one of the reasons I left being a big-city librarian. Every week we were being threatened with closure by some politician wanting to raise taxes. Between me and you, according to budget the threat was far from true most weeks.

Cities who spend beyond their means get exactly what they deserve. I dont go around expecting people to just hand me money. Why do the cities just expect the state and the fed to keep funneling them money?

*I realize it's the branches as well as the central library that are closing in this case. The reality of overspending and over-promising politicians remains the same.

In this 'recession' libraries across the country have seen a revival in patronage and use. People who have never step foot into one are just now discovering all the materials that are there for them and all the librarians are capable of doing for them. Patronage is at record levels.

It's a shame Phily couldnt manage itself better. But no city seems to be capable of properly managing itself.