Are Libraries Still Relevant (For Physical Books)?

[Arnox]

Today is the first time I've been in a public library for a long while. Longer than I'd care it to be. It's easy to forget about them once you know how to get pretty much any book you want, digitally. But then, as I was walking through the stacks, a thought occurred to me. Perhaps checking out books at the library is not necessarily about their raw selection. Not about having every single title known to man available for checkout. Instead, when you go to the library and look at what's on the shelves, it is about book RECOMMENDATIONS. Now, even in this regard, a library may still not have every good book worth reading, but they should still provide some halfway decent recommendations. So yes, I think going to libraries for physical books is still relevant, even if they may not have everything you could ever dream up.

By the way, a fun thing to do as well is to pick a random number in the Dewey decimal system and check out a book you pick out in that specific genre. Libraries are especially great for this as well because since you have to return the book sometime, you have a deadline to finish it. It puts a fire under your ass to read it instead of putting it off.

 

[Houseman]

It's also free, which makes it an excellent gathering place for homeless people who spend all day coughing and spreading disease.

 

[Arnox]

It's also free, which makes it an excellent gathering place for homeless people who spend all day coughing and spreading disease.

Actually, there was none of that at my library, although admittedly, YMMV per city. As to disease, bro, grocery stores are way worse and you go into those regularly.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

I'm afraid libraries are not relevant anymore, though I cold wish they were. There should at least be one library in each country carrying one copy of every book in that language. Branch ones today sadly only carry "politically correct" ones. I still have a library card, invalid now, but haven't been to the state-funded one for 25-30 years. I do buy books from specialized science-fiction & fantasy stores however.

 

[Arnox]

Branch ones today sadly only carry "politically correct" ones.

haven't been to the state-funded one for 25-30 years.

How can you say that when you haven't even been to one in 25-30 years? lol In terms of political correctness, I saw everything from black history books to Elon Musk biographies. It was pretty varied.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

How can you say that when you haven't even been to one in 25-30 years? lol In terms of political correctness, I saw everything from black history books to Elon Musk biographies. It was pretty varied.

Partly because I walk past a few library windows from time to time, and because I get local newspapers which sometimes have the libraries present chosen books (mostly idpol) or when they announce library book reading.

 

[Battousai]

Libraries are important in terms of the preservation of physical books, but relevant? Dude most young people I've seen don't even touch physical books anymore. My cousins are all in their mid 20's and they don't read books at all, every single piece of information they get or need comes from access to internet through their phones mainly. There's a small state managed public library not far from where I live, place is usually a ghost town except for the librarians.

 

[Arnox]

Libraries are important in terms of the preservation of physical books, but relevant? Dude most young people I've seen don't even touch physical books anymore. My cousins are all in their mid 20's and they don't read books at all, every single piece of information they get or need comes from access to internet through their phones mainly. There's a small state managed public library not far from where I live, place is usually a ghost town except for the librarians.

That's not really relevant though. That's much more a reading problem than a library problem.

 

[gaijinkaiju]

Haven't been to my local library lately, since i just buy my books rather than borrow now, so i can't say one way or the other. I do like that despite being a small library, if you have the library card you can use it at any of the other libraries in the region, and can even borrow books from them and they get dropped off at the local one weekly, or just reserve it and collect it yourself.

How can you say that

i think he just uses it to describe "thing he doesn't like"

I saw everything from black history books to Elon Musk biographies. It was pretty varied.

that is kind of the point of a libray.

 

[Arnox]

I do like that despite being a small library, if you have the library card you can use it at any of the other libraries in the region, and can even borrow books from them and they get dropped off at the local one weekly, or just reserve it and collect it yourself.

Yeah, the Inter-Library Loan program, ever since they started it way back in the day, was and still is amazing.

that is kind of the point of a libray.

Indeed, but Vendor didn't believe it. lol

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

Yeah, the Inter-Library Loan program, ever since they started it way back in the day, was and still is amazing.



Indeed, but Vendor didn't believe it. lol

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