nymeria.stark wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:16 am
gkaplan wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:07 pm
I posted similar thoughts up-thread. rgs92 has not replied to my post, and I have my doubts whether he will reply to yours. rgs92 will continue to question the role of public libraries.
I'm cool with that.
I haven't changed my dad's mind on this, either.
+1
Question - A sentence, phrase, or gesture that seeks information through a reply.
Opinion - A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.
I really wish people would stop assuming they know what is in other peoples minds. Rgs92 was asking a valid question, not making a declaration of war. Here's another one. What are the percentages of the local population that pay for a library and what percentage actually use them? It seems like a lot of them are searching for any way they can think of to get people in the door. There were stories a few months ago about libraries lending everything from musical instruments to rototillers! Really? That's the function of a library? My local library system has been trying for several years to get a sales tax increase to supplement their funding. The local politicians have limited tax revenues they can spend and have, probably rightly, allocated them to higher priorities.
I can certainly sympathize though. My main hobby is reading and I love libraries. If I didn't have to work, I would spend most of my days in a library. Of course since I do have to work and since the local libraries close before I get off work, that kind of limits my opportunity. I'm really looking forward to going back after I retire, if they are still around in another ten or fifteen years.
During college I worked as a circulation clerk and absolutely loved it. One of my favorite times was doing annual inventory (audit). I would find all kinds of interesting books I didn't know existed. To me walking into a library was like walking into Ali Baba's cave. What new treasures am I about to discover? I don't think I ever walked out without the max catch limit.
That said, I haven't been in a library in at least 20 years. The last time I was in it was good practice before sitting down to sniff the seats to see if they smelled of urine. . . . I used to joke about needing to bring Glad trash bags to use as seat covers. The other problem was always having to watch who was behind you. . . . I had noticed a sign to the children's section, "Children Only, No Adults". . . .
I posted previously I couldn't afford the parking. That's not exactly accurate. Because I loved going to the library so much I couldn't afford the parking tickets. . . . . The idea of the "free availability of information" seemed to take a real beating sometimes. . . .