A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. - Andrew Carnegie

[Renew Deal]

A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.
-------------------------

Saw that at a library.

[joeybee12]

1. A very democratic institution...open to all...knr

[razorman]

3. Very true. But, times have changed.

With the advent of the internet, I would be interested to know how much library use has (or has not) declined. Are school children even taught the Dewey Decimal System anymore?

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Your question was the chief objection by voters who turned down our library bond the first time.

The second time it was on the ballot it squeaked by and the new library was built. It's so busy that sometimes finding a carrel or place to sit is a challenge. Lots of kids parked in their age-appropriate sections. Adults using terminals, meeting space, job search resource centers, and attending events. This is in an middle to upper income area where most households can afford to buy books, online subscriptions, etc. The experience is similar in the nearby cities with similar demographics -- build a modern library and people will use it.

IOW, libraries are still viewed as important community resources.

BTW, there's less need to teach children the Dewey Decimal or LOC systems because the card catalogs have been replaced by electronic search engines. Only the library staff need know the classifications for shelving and indexing.

[Renew Deal]

15. Aren't people expected to look for their own books?

The computer replaced the card catalog, but the books are still arranged using the decimal system. Is it different in other areas?

[Gormy Cuss]

29. A librarian can always point you to the right stacks

but the kids I know look for subject or title or author in the online catalog then use the results to find the section.

[Paka]

19. That's so encouraging to hear.

I'm an old fart that practically lived in libraries growing up. They played an important role in my life. Twenty years ago the first time I was in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe I was duly impressed to see the beautiful community library they had there, legacy of Rhodes himself. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa at the time, I would have loved to have access to such a library.

Libraries are very nurturing places.

[LanternWaste]

5. Public libraries throughout the US have lent books over two billion times last year

Public libraries throughout the US have lent books over two billion times last year – more than eight times for each citizen. More than half of young adults and seniors living in poverty in the United States used public libraries to access the Internet. Many public libraries offer ESL, basic reading, summer child-reading, and foreign language courses in addition to other local programs specific to the needs of the its community.

I would suggest simply visit your public library and see what it offers. Were I a betting man, five will get you ten you'll be delightfully surprised and return soon.

[Ed Suspicious]

34. A decade ago my young family moved to a small city in a far away state. It was the public library

in town where we found connection to community and a place for my children to meet people.

Libraries to the unimaginative are stacks of antiquated books.

To those who use the library with any regularity, they are a lifeline to connection in our increasingly fragmented lives. My 4 year old at the time participated in library classes offered for free. I read books, went online at library provided terminals, accessed free wifi, conducted job searches, talked with library staff and other patrons, etc.

We lived in a camper 5 miles from town. We were isolated and alone there, but the library relieved us of our solitude.

[JI7]

8. they are very useful for people who like to read

They may not be needed as much for some research .

And many books are available for free online. But these are usually older books.

Ebooks outside of public domain often cost similar to buying paper.

They also provide a quiet space. Internet is available for those who don't have it.

I would be interested in knowing how much people read books these days.

[closeupready]

10. As for myself, I prefer mass market paperbacks.

But it's so much easier to read books on your phone/the Kindle. So I confess I've moved more into e-reading.

[JI7]

11. i am reading more because of kindle

And it really does make it easier to read and more comfortable.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea for libraries to provide ebooks. There are many things they can do to still make them useful.

[closeupready]

12. Actually, the NY Public Library has been providing e-books to lend

for a few years, and I believe many other libraries do, too.

[JI7]

13. i haven't been to a library in years

And only went to a bookstore recently after a long time to try to find a book someone wanted as a gift. But I'm glad they are providing ebooks to keep up with the times.

But it did remind me of how much i love being surrounded by books.

And there are many books for young people i would be interested in reading. Including ones i read when i was young.

I was thinking libraries would be perfect for those .

[Renew Deal]

17. Libraries are critical for kids

Because they often don't have the money for full books, it gives them quiet study space, and sometimes gives them access to computers or programs.

[yeoman6987]

28. I also haven't been to a library on at least a decade

E-books are the way to go. Many free sites to grab a book. It's awesome. How about everyone think about the environment for a change? Quite a concept. (Not directed towards you).

[PowerToThePeople]

24. I think most lend ebooks

I had an old sony ereader that I just picked up a new battery for. Loaded a bunch of out of copyright epubs and a few pdf reference books I have on it. Also all 3 volumes of das Capital. =)

I think it will be nice, laptop is good for message boards but not as good for multi-hour reading sessions.

[Ed Suspicious]

35. Our library loans out e-readers (kindle) and allows us to borrow books for the kindle.

[closeupready]

36. That's fantastic. Also, if you have a smart phone,

I think the Kindle app is available for free through the Google Play store or the iApp. From there, you could download classics from Amazon, like, for example, Huckleberry Finn, or Count of Monte Christo.

[Renew Deal]

16. The libraries in my area "lend" e-books.

I've never tried it, but I know others that have. They also still rent DVD's (including Blu-Ray), video games, and they have magazines. I'm not sure if they still have fiche machines.

[Paka]

22. As a traveler I should be a perfect candidate for ebooks.

I've tried a few times, but never enjoyed them. I am an obsessive reader but I find it hard to even finish a book I am loving when it's an ebook. Give me a proper book to hold, anytime.

[Renew Deal]

14. I believe that schools still have libraries

That's where I was taught the Dewey Decimal system. I'm sure it's still taught in school's with libraries.

[Ed Suspicious]

2. Even when I only use it as a quiet place to get some work done it's a valuable public good.

[Renew Deal]

18. I agree

This alone is enough to justify a library.

[pokerfan]

33. Cathedrals of the Enlightenment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College_Library

[KentuckyWoman]

6. libraries are great ........ but.........

to outrank everything else?

[Renew Deal]

20. The quote is probably from the early 1900's

It more sense in the context of the era. But I think there is still truth to the statement. Libraries are open to all regardless of income, race, age, etc. They provide so many basic and vital services. It's something a for-profit book store or the internet cannot replace. And this is even more true for young kids.

[csziggy]

31. Carnegie required that the libraris he donated to comunities be open to all

Before that in many communities there were private or subscription libraries with restricted membership. For instance here in Tallahassee until the 1950s the only libraries were a private subscription library with a requirement for approval of members, the state library primarily for the use of the legisltors and state employees, and the schools' and universities' libraries restricted to use by students and faculty.

Andrew Carnegie offered Tallahassee a public library but the city fathers refused when they learned that it had to be open to all - they didn't want to let just anyone have access to the library. As a result the capital ciy of Forida had no public library until the 1950s when they finally started one one with little public money.

[JVS]

7. Carnegies liked libraries because he thought it was a better for him to decide how to spend the...

fruits of his employees' labor than to let them have a say in it.

[Renew Deal]

21. Is this different than schools that have sports or clubs?

It was a way to keep people out of trouble?

[Igel]

32. Clubs keep people out of trouble while they're there.

And to some extent at other times.

Libraries are good for that, but the single best thing to do for a kid is to get him to read. If he can read fluently and well, then he can adapt to reading technical and science prose, literary prose, stay informed. The kid can read manuals for passing certification tests. Improve his vocabulary. A poor reader in 9th grade is more often a high school drop out. There's a reason for all the standardized reading tests to gauge reading improvement and skill.

It can help him mould his writing and improve it, and written communication is important at work for anything more than flipping burgers.

And more.

Ebooks are great. Except that we don't read them the same way, we don't retain information the same way. This is true if they're textbooks, but also if they're works of literature. On a printed page of fiction good readings typically sense that they're reading from start to finish, but they read in chunks, and constantly scan back to double check some fact that's important, verify what some character said. On ebooks they don't, and they rely on getting it more-or-less right. Their understanding is fuzzier, and often they have to piece together something that happened and they got wrong--or more often figure it doesn't matter. It defeats the practice of close reading that is the crux of reading for information, whether newspapers or textbooks or user manuals. (Information and building it into knowledge is the prerequisite for critical thinking.)

[Hekate]

27. They would not have had a say in it no matter what. It was legally his to do with as he chose...

...and he chose to endow public libraries.

[Mc Mike]

9. Love libraries. Hate Carnegie.

And I have to admit that I use Carnegie libraries in Pittsburgh.

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. k&r

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. Everything about a library is virtuous.

In fact, the best things school have going for them is that there's usually a library within.

[Hekate]

26. Carnegie was indeed one of the Robber Barons of industry. But those libraries were an unmitigated...

...blessing to inquiring minds everywhere. I've known people from small towns and big cities who came from poor families, who used public libraries extensively to enhance their lives and educations. They know who Carnegie was and they are grateful for what he left them.

Public libraries are changing with the times and changing with technology. They will not die unless we simply allow them to from lack of necessary public funds. They still have an important place in our society.

[90-percent]

30. Frank Zappa owes his musical career to libraries

From the 1966 debut album Freak Out, the Mothers of Invention

Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts.

http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2010/09/20/129999891/frank-zappa-bronze-god

And there's a bust of him at the Baltimore library to prove it!

-90% Jimmy