Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Honestly, if Fox hadn't presented this in such an extremist way, I'd be inclined to agree with them. With thinks like the iPad, Lexis Nexis, JSTOR, etc., books are becoming less and less a source of knowledge. Libraries should never go away, but I could see an argument for neighboring munipalities merging their public libraries to save tax money in the future. Maybe not now, but the more technology improves, the less people will be reading books. Sad but true.
Did you click on the link in the story? That's not Fox News Channel. That's the local Chicago Fox channel like the one that's probably on where you live at 10PM on the lower channels.
Honestly, if Fox hadn't presented this in such an extremist way, I'd be inclined to agree with them. With thinks like the iPad, Lexis Nexis, JSTOR, etc., books are becoming less and less a source of knowledge. Libraries should never go away, but I could see an argument for neighboring munipalities merging their public libraries to save tax money in the future. Maybe not now, but the more technology improves, the less people will be reading books. Sad but true.
Not a thing of the past, just changed to a different medium. Or were you talking in terms of "physical book".
Personally, public libraries could move all of their content to digital and have a public knowledge base to where people could read the books from their computer in a more traditional organized fashion. If they were insistent about locational use or things like that, they could simply supply smart cards which would act like a library card. In the end, it would be cheaper and more easily managed as well as "up to date". /shrug
I recently downloaded the FREE PC Kindle from Amazon. Now I don't have to pay shipping charges just to read a book that I'm going to give to the library... just to get rid of it. No, I don't want a bunch of dust collectors hanging around my home.
So the library is convenient as a paper disposal but there's nothing there I can't find on a browser tab next to the City-Data tab. And a google search is a hell of a lot faster than a bunch of index cards in rows of small drawers.
I recently downloaded the FREE PC Kindle from Amazon. Now I don't have to pay shipping charges just to read a book that I'm going to give to the library... just to get rid of it. No, I don't want a bunch of dust collectors hanging around my home.
So the library is convenient as a paper disposal but there's nothing there I can't find on a browser tab next to the City-Data tab. And a google search is a hell of a lot faster than a bunch of index cards in rows of small drawers.
The bold portion reveals how little you know about modern libraries.
The bold portion reveals how little you know about modern libraries.
yes most libraries went to electronic card catalogs in the late 90's early 00's.....
personally I liked the old card catalogs better....although the electronic ones allow me to search MANY LIBRARIES, to see that they still dont have what I want or need
the only thing I go to the libraries for is the micrfilm of old stuff and reference books that cant be checked out....cant wait till they SCAN THEM ALL, so I can access them from my PC, and , I dont have to deal with those nasty civil servants
I love going to the Library and I hope they are around forever. Just wish most of them would allow books on every subject not just what some one decides to let in.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
