How do you feel about Libraries?

[acri1]

I enjoy libraries (and I did even more as a kid, it was kind of an escape) but in 2013 it's kind of hard to convince myself to visit one when everything's on the Internet.


Such is progress, I guess.

 

[88m3]

I enjoy libraries (and I did even more as a kid, it was kind of an escape) but in 2013 it's kind of hard to convince myself to visit one when everything's on the Internet.


Such is progress, I guess.

Could you expand on that?


Do you feel libraries offer utility and value to people? Perhaps to people who aren't as jaded or pretentious? Do you care?

 

[Rice N Beans]

I value them, moreso than the average person. People should go to libraries more often.

 

[Kritic]

Libraries are a necessary public service.
People don't use them as often as they used to, but many do. We like to think of libraries in the classical sense of just books but libraries now offer a lot of other services.

no one gives a fuq about a public service esp if they are in the black/poor community. after they digitize books they'll shut down libraries in the poor communities in the name of saving money. they already do this with schools so it's gonna happen with libraries too.

 

[88m3]

Are libraries a class issue?

 

[CouldntBeMeTho]

So are you stating that government cannot control libraries...? The internet is NOT that easy to control...Of course, the average person doesn't even know the first thing about the internet, but if people where put in a position where they needed to know the internet in and out, in order to survive, you will understand why the internet is not easy to control...

Case in point, WikiLeaks...How could that have been possible with physical books...? It would take years to spread that info using physical books, and by the time the info reaches the everyday man, the government would have twisted the stories so much, and the info would have been relegated to conspiracy theories...

But in matter of seconds, Assange was able to spread info to anybody with an internet connection and know how...

Another example, Eric Snowden and the NSA...Look how quickly he was able to break that story electronically...Books would take years, if they ever get the chance to see the light of day...

You talk about books and the American Revolution...Well, a recent example is Twitter and the Egyptian revolt, that sh+t took minutes to explode, not years of fighting...

We witnessed the power of sharing info electronically, first hand...And if you followed the story, you got the information uncut, with no treatment from the big wigs at the big media corporations...

The Boston bombers, we witnessed that story uncut, we heard the police scanners, we saw the security cameras, we saw cellphone footage from bystanders...Imagine we had to wait to read the physical books...hahahaha...Can you image how much info would have been omitted or altered...

Imagine JFK was assassinated the way he was, today...We would know exactly what happened, we may not know the motives, but the events, we would for sure know exactly what happened, who pulled the trigger, how many people pulled the triggers, and other details...

Books are archaic...

If paranoid delusions of government control is the only argument for books, then I am not convinced...

If you know the internet, you have access to anything that was EVER published online...Government CANNOT stop that, short of shutting down the internet...

And we know that will lead to civil war...Western governments don't want those kinds of problems right now...High risk low reward situation...

you're really arguing against having libraries?

 

[NZA]

to me, the library is useless, but i know older people who dont mess with digital stuff. the library will still be a valuable service for another 30 years

 

[Dooby]

whats the point?

waste of tax dollars?

Not at all...a wealth of knowledge made free to the public...not to mention the modern libraries with wifi and internet access. Plus, free rentals of DVDs, CDs. I feel it would be a waste only because not enough people utilize it!

Edit:

Actually we have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips but library is for untraceable acquisition of knowledge...no more thought crimes if you use the library.

 

[88m3]

Not at all...a wealth of knowledge made free to the public..

libertarians are the worst

 

[Dooby]

 

[88m3]

You don't know what a liberal is if you say such a thing.

 

[Kritic]

People should go to libraries more often.

the peace and quiet of the library... it's like a santuary.. only place you can just look at the books and listen to yourself think..



was definitely the best place to be in high school and college.

and play great chess games with strangers.

 

[nineteeneightysix]

you're really arguing against having libraries?

This is what I originally stated:

"Libraries are archaic...
Everything is online...The New Libraries should just be computer rooms...And somebody needs to transcribe older books into e-books, so we can totally get rid of olde style libraries..."

"Libraries need more computers and less racks full of books nobody is reading...I am not saying get rid of libraries all together, I am saying they need to build innovative libraries, because the current ones are outdated...
They should change the name from libraries to learning centres, and revamp the whole system..."

 

[Mr. Somebody]

Good place to read books and say shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Theyre important to have in every city because if we get sent back in time by a natural occuring event, how will we read?

 

[nineteeneightysix]

Good place to read books and say shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Theyre important to have in every city because if we get sent back in time by a natural occuring event, how will we read?

We will write books because it will be necessary then...

The chances of a natural occurring event to wipe out every single city in the world is pretty low...To worry about such an event is borderline paranoia...

I don't think it's justification for keeping the library status quo...

All books should be transcribed to e-Books, and libraries need to become like technology centres...Get rid of the racks, to make more space for computers and other interactive technological gadgets...

For example, a robotic mannequin who can interactively teach children/anyone the human anatomy, an interactive world map or globe that can teach children/anyone about other countries, interactive encyclopaedias that can take you through journey through Peru during the height of Inca empire, and other things of that nature...

Let's embrace the future...