I am on the commission overseeing a major public library system. I strongly disagree with your interpretation of what libraries do.
First, the real estate presence of the library is extremely important. Children's storytime is one of the strongest drivers of foot traffic. Some of the buildings act as designated cooling centers during heat waves. They are community centers and gathering spaces for local organizations.
Also, just because you can spend $10 on an ebook does not mean others would choose to do the same! That's important money to many people.
Otherwise, here are some other things I've seen libraries do that I think your comment underestimates:
- supplies reading materials to jailed inmates
- helps new residents navigate city services
- manages the city archives
- provides wifi access for the 10%+ of a big city that does not have wifi at home
- gives free books to build book collections at home
- loans tools and other "maker" equipment
Not all libraries are funded well enough to do the above, and the specific definition of a library in 2024 is very hard to nail down - basically converges on a community center.
All I'm saying is that libraries are making concerted efforts to break out of the traditional definition ("gatekeeper of information") - you should check out your local library to see all that they do!
I wonder what proportion of the population uses the library system at all. I can't imagine it's more than 25%. If I'm right, the cost is at least $1,000 per library user per year.
This seems like a lot.
(Of the $200MM, only $22MM is spent on books/ebooks/media aka 'collections'.)
The libraries are generally comfortable and well maintained, but given the cost I wonder whether the major functions (books, space, wifi) could be provided more cheaply by Amazon and Wework.
First, the real estate presence of the library is extremely important. Children's storytime is one of the strongest drivers of foot traffic. Some of the buildings act as designated cooling centers during heat waves. They are community centers and gathering spaces for local organizations.
Also, just because you can spend $10 on an ebook does not mean others would choose to do the same! That's important money to many people.
Otherwise, here are some other things I've seen libraries do that I think your comment underestimates:
- supplies reading materials to jailed inmates
- helps new residents navigate city services
- manages the city archives
- provides wifi access for the 10%+ of a big city that does not have wifi at home
- gives free books to build book collections at home
- loans tools and other "maker" equipment
Not all libraries are funded well enough to do the above, and the specific definition of a library in 2024 is very hard to nail down - basically converges on a community center.
All I'm saying is that libraries are making concerted efforts to break out of the traditional definition ("gatekeeper of information") - you should check out your local library to see all that they do!