What about the Public Library?

[wwkirk]

Does anybody visit public libraries anymore? They were important to me all through my childhood, and into the 90s, but I haven't visited one in years. When I moved back to New York, I did get a library card, but it was only because I was downtown and it was extremely cold out, and I wanted to surf the internet a little between job interviews.

I spent a lot of time in academia, and recognize the continued value of that type of library. But what about the public version; what do people use them for nowadays? Do parents still encourage children to read physical books?

Physical books are important to me, but I often buy them. Otherwise, I download PDFs or Kindle versions. A local public library is not going to have many of the titles I am interested in.

When was the last time you were at a public library?

 

[Todd Feinman]

Here is some data from Pew:
Libraries - Research and data from the Pew Research Center
I'm in them every day!
When the recession hit some time ago libraries were very busy. Things became more virtual during Covid, but things are getting back to normal. Technology continues to change things.

 

[wwkirk]

Here is some data from Pew:
Libraries - Research and data from the Pew Research Center
I'm in them every day!
When the recession hit some time ago libraries were very busy. Things became more virtual during Covid, but things are getting back to normal. Technology continues to change things.

What do you do there, sit and read, borrow books, or use the computers?

 

[Todd Feinman]

What do you do there, sit and read, borrow books, or use the computers?

I'm a reference librarian
27 years now at my library...

 

[wwkirk]

I'm a reference librarian
27 years now at my library...

lol I suspected something like that!

 

[Todd Feinman]

lol I suspected something like that!

It's a very interesting job! One of my ordering sections is UFOs --I also have the magic and occult sections, history -(everything but American history), art history books, and art technique books. When I started as a librarian, we had just gotten rid of the card catalog --and had two computers with internet access --with Netscape on them! Those were the days!

 

[nivek]

I have a library card for the local small town library, although I haven't visited it since 2015...In the last I've often visited a library in whatever town or countryside I may be residing at the time, often bringing my own books to read in a different atmosphere than home or to do a bit of writing...I used to write much on the topics of the spiritual and philosophical, probably written enough to publish a thick book but these days not so much...I still have all my notes and writings tucked away in all the books I've purchased and read over the years...

...

 

[lawrencejonish]

I often find myself returning to the public library. In a world dominated by screens, the library remains a sanctuary of quiet focus, offering not just books but a refuge for genuine, uninterrupted learning. Exploring apps for students to study, Is where apps meet authenticity in a hushed symphony of knowledge.

 

[pigfarmer]

I often find myself returning to the public library. In a world dominated by screens, the library remains a sanctuary of quiet focus, offering not just books but a refuge for genuine, uninterrupted learning. Exploring apps for students to study, Is where apps meet authenticity in a hushed symphony of knowledge.

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