Public libraries should have both substantive, intellectual books and easy-to-read bestsellers. I think that the issue here is that the standard practice at some public libraries in recent times has been to exclusively focus on the later. That would not have gone over well back in the day when the supporters of public libraries had a very clear vision of educating and bettering the community.

This belief is reflected in the requirement that librarians have a bachelor’s degree before their library “training”. Early supporters of American public libraries believed that a college educated person would be better able to discern what materials and programs would aid the economic and intellectual development of the community given finite resources. Whether this approach has been sufficiently successful to warrant further support is questionable. But until recently, few would have questioned the central purpose of libraries and librarianship.

First off, getting rid of fines does not make sense. Fines are so small as they are right now that any publicity/good will/trade off ideas associated with doing away with them would not outweigh the extra hundreds of bucks or so that libraries see from. I know I said they are small so the thinking “Well then just get rid of them because the amount libraries collect is small too” but giving away revenues sources is not really a good idea right now and, really, no one who we are trying to target will notice or care.

Also, once the backward thinking stereotypical librarians (I know I know not all of you are I understand that) retire into the sunset, the opportunity will be there for public libraries as we know them to truly transform themselves, and I think it needs to happen. Change is tough and requires of course money but also will power and advocacy, but steering libraries towards the needs of the future (clean energy, bio-technology research, real world education, responsible financial planning) will be the way to maintain not only their existence but their growth and relevancy. I do not necessarily know how but I do know that libraries need to move with the current, not try to stay anchored. THe love affair with the quaint book-driven librry may need to do. I don’t want it to but it may have to be. Maybe make libraries more like a community center or Starbucks or local gym or think tank; appeal to the future decision makers, not necessarily the ones now who are on their way out.

We have a pretty good amount of ppl, mostly baby boomers but also young parents who support and believe in libraries. But I’m 28 and a lot of my peers don’t know about or care about libraries (it’s the parking lot to leave your vehicle for the carpool trip to the bar) and when they get to be the elders of our society, trouble may reign for libraries. So really the library needs to become…what? Something else in addition to providing Web access and books? Maybe the public library does not need to change but the librarian as a job itself. No one is coming for face to face reference help in the future.

Which is a separate question from why public libraries should only provide high culture (as you conceive it) – i.e. why we should all pay taxes to support your taste, exclusively?

But I thought we are ALL supposed to use lest paper which uses less trees which helps the envirnment.

Don’t get me started on how so many folks today are absically socialists and are not educated enough (we don’t teach capitalism vs communism anymore even though communism lost) in basic politics and economics.

As far as eliminating fines, how else will some flakes learn to be responsible for their own actions? I work in a PL in a highly transient area (SE FLA) and between the segment that is just passing through and the cheapskates who are retired we would take even more of a finacial hit if there were not fines. We do not block a patron until they reach $5 BTW. As it is, the DVDs fly out the door anyway.

The other comment about folks who are out of work and do not own (working) computer/printer is valid. The corporations are using online applications to save money and to filter out people that would not cut it for reasons such as English proficiency, general literacy, and computer skills. Not to be cruel, but I do not blame them, I likely would do the same if a CEO. How long has the media been saying “it’s a digital world, you need computer skills”? So, instead of going to the library during the easy times and learning computing, they just watched TV.

We have computer classes, and I’m a trainer (since DOS 1.0!) so know of what I speak. Unfortunately, most of those attending our classes are retired and they really do not NEED to learn computers, they are just trying to keep up with the grandkids and are bored. If we charged for the classes very few would attend.

This is the next wave of need in our culture. Entertaining bored, underfunded, politically-active boomers. And you think public libraries will go away? Are you nuts?

OK, AL: the best for what? After he’s spent all day typesetting Mahmoud Darwish in Arabic, what do you think my partner should read? if he reads Freddy the Pig, is he failing to assimilate “culture” and “ideas”? Does he become one of your undeserving poor, your inveterately redneck, or one of your whitebread middlebrow masses yearning to read free, a cheapskate (because there isn’t much money in Darwish typesetting, is there?)

Are you saying that the stuff you want to read should be free? That we should pay for yours but you shouldn’t have to pay for ours?

(Or you could think about the fiscal crunch for public services. Is it a crisis of expenditure or revenue? Why?)

BTW: the other way you can explain computer usage at public libraries is that people have become so poor they can’t replace broken machines, or pay for printer cartridges, or, being laid off after 30 years and still needing a job, have come new to the requirement to apply online for everything, have no computer skills, and have to start at the only place that has both free computers and a mission/requirement to educate the public in their use.

Or they might have to download and print their own pay-stubs, the corporate cheapskates they work for no longer bothering to cover this expense themselves; they might want to log their door-to-door selling hours; they might want to print their bank satements, having no computers (see above), or pay their bills online (see above).

If we are more various than you would like, that’s too bad.

And you still haven’t explained the difference between entertainment and culture. Try “The Odyssey” vs “Weeds”. That’s a nice one.