https://www.usatoday.com/story...book-ban/7906130001/

The story is about a town voting to defund it's only public library over the library staff's refusal to remove certain LGBTQ related titles.

What also caught eyes is the claim that, if the library is shut down, then the public library the next town over will charge non-resident $150 for a library card.

That got me thinking: how essential are public libraries to the public these days?

The last time I went to a library, I was there to donate some 3D printing supplies that I no longer needed. I try to think if there are still many "low income" folks who would rely on the public libraries for essential functions, even that is shrinking once you subsidize their Internet access some other ways. I can imagine young parents occasionally take their young children to the public library for story time, though that's more like a "nice to have" rather than an essential function.

Every now and then I see WTG posts something about putting some library title on hold. Apart from WTG ...

When did you last visited a public library, and why?

Hey, I want to say something about libraries in general and mine in particular!

I use the library a lot but rarely go in. I go to the drive thru to pick up my book.

The ability to access kinds of things we relied upon libraries for previously, like reference materials that would be expensive to acquire on your own, are probably less important than they once were. But in our town, the library truly is a community gathering place. They sponsor a lot of programs for various age groups, from little ones up to seniors. Just a few:

Book discussion groups
Movie viewing and discussion
Teen center for kids to crash after school
Makerplace with cooking facilities and classes, 3D printing and instruction, yada yada yada
Lectures on all manner of topics
Music performances (yea, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band!)
ESL instruction, including open times for people to come in and practice their English in an informal setting.
Computer instruction and access to computers
And yes, a ton of electronic stuff like movies, e-books, and audiobooks. It's wonderful.

Is it essential? Perhaps not to those who are more affluent and could afford to buy the things the library offers if there wasn't a library to offer them. But we also have a lot of people who wouldn't be able to access some of the resources the library provides.

I grumble about some things on my tax bill (our park district is way overfunded as far as I'm concerned and the schools are getting more than a bit crazy) but the library isn't one of them. They are smart about rethinking what a library can do. It's not just about books anymore.

I use my public library regularly, both to read eBooks and to borrow books for my classroom. I rarely borrow hard copy books for myself (though I do maybe 4-6 times a year) and when I go in (during the school year at least weekly) I rarely spend more than 3 minutes. I order everything I want online then drop in just to pick it up from the holds shelf and check out. My amazing librarian puts together a bag of 25 books on whatever theme my students and I are looking for on a monthly basis. My students go to the library for programs such as crafts and movie nights. I would argue that folks who say that library isn’t useful just don’t financially need it. I have students who have accessed it just to use the free wifi, because they don’t have wifi at home. Many people who can’t afford to have a computer or data on their phones access the library for things like paying bills, accessing government accounts, etc. even when people do have phones with data some official websites that they may be required to visit in order to keep receiving benefits for disability, etc, need to be accessed on a computer for full functionality. Our library also has things like National Park passes which can be borrowed. Seed libraries and borrowing tools are a recent development in my local library. You can borrow Board games, movies, and music.

I rarely hear families who are working class say the library isn’t valuable - it’s always folks who have enough money that they don’t bother accessing the services because they have the privilege to not want to spend the time or effort when they can click “buy it now” instead. Unfortunately these are also the folks voting to close them.

Edited to add: I have seen seniors and folks who speak a language other than English come and ask a librarian for help understanding a piece of mail, adding an email account on their phone, or to ask questions about who they should talk to to access specific municipal services. None of these are librarian “jobs” but they all do them happily and consider it part of the services they provide.

I haven’t been *in* the library in ages, but I borrow a lot of ebooks through Libby. It’s great.

I do believe that libraries provide essential services, especially for low income populations. Knowledge is for everyone, not just those who can afford it. It makes us a better community.

Last Thursday to borrow a few books.
I also find audiobooks are convenient & enjoyable.

UK public libraries are under pressure with cuts being made e.g. area managers instead of branch managers, limited opening hours, open only three days a week in smaller towns.

We made sure our kids used the local library as well as their school library. But now as young adults they don't go, nor do they appear to read any books, journals or magazines. The internet has taken over.

We’ve started taking grandson Jack to the local library and it’s not like any library I’ve ever seen.

There are two huge play areas; one for older kids and one for younger. They’re filled with every sort of “educational” toys you can imagine. There’s also an area where you can check out “education backpacks” on various subjects; the one on bugs might have a net, a bug catcher, some books about bugs, toy bugs and a pith helmet.

This library lends all sorts of stuff - bikes, trikes, tennis rackets, musical instruments and lots more. They lend DVD movies and video games, music and instructional CDs, and probably a lot of material I don’t know about.

They also have books!

I've been reading more library books since we've been living with our daughter because of my wheel chair. She's a regular library user and has been getting books for me to read when she's there. With all the libraries in the area sharing a common system, it's easy to reserve a book from any participating library and then pick it up at the local library when it's available. I tended to forget what a resource the public library is.

Big Al