Anyone else think they're a total waste of money?
It's the internet age. We shouldn't be spending billions per annum on these wastes of space. If someone wants to read something, they buy it online.
Explain why we should continue funding libraries. They seem like a total waste of money, especially when you actually visit one and realise it's a wasteland. Nobody fucking goes to them yet we feel its necessary to keep funding them.
Other urls found in this thread:
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
youtube.com
twitter.com
It's not a waste of money, and physical copies of books aren't impractical yet, but we certainly shouldn't be subsidizing them.
Just like the postal service or school system. The people that directly benefit from a service should be the ones funding it, taking someone else's money is unethical.
>The people that directly benefit from a service should be the ones funding it
If you had to pay to visit/borrow then they would be even more deserted than they are now.
So what's the issue? If a private library doesn't succeed it doesn't deserve to
Your solution to low library patronage is 'privatise them' which isn't a solution,
Money needs to be spent digitizing the books and other records in the libraries. After that, I dunno.
My solution to an ethical use of taxpayer money is to privatize them, your question was "should we continue funding libraries" and my answer is "no"
If there is a need for libraries the free market is capable and has a better motivation for providing the service
That doesn't work for everything, though. If you do that to the PS then smaller towns won't have access to mail. Same goes for libraries, people need access to computers, print services, etc.
Most libraries offer services above and beyond just letting out books. Stuff like access to computers for poor people, access point for other social services etc.
Plus some of Britain's libraries are in beautiful buildings with great heritage and history. We spunk terrifying amounts of money up the wall for all sorts of pointless shit, at least libraries provide something tangible back.
That is socialism and it is evil
It is not my responsibility to provide someone else with a post office or a printer. Watch Milton Friedman - "Free to choose"