Quote:
Originally Posted by UnderControl
There's so much free information online and when you need really in depth info you can just buy the ebook, which is probably fairly cheap. As for fiction, those are pretty cheap too, you can just buy those all or join Amazon Prime.
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In one sense, I agree with you. Books are pretty cheap. eBooks can be (but often aren't) cheaper still. And if you're willing to read the classics, you could probably spend a lifetime and not exhaust all the free eBooks that are out there (with more popping up all the time.) The amount and quality of materials have never been available for so little real money.
On the other hand, a family that literally cannot afford to put food on the table isn't going to be able to spend $50/month on books. They're not going to be able to spend $10/month. They probably don't have high-speed Internet, may not even have a computer, and they may not know how to access all the free content out there. When they have an issue, there's no one to help them. If they can't find something (and I know people who have no idea how to use Google), they have no one to turn to for help.
Libraries represent something that is really important: free access to information for all, regardless of ability to pay. And that is why we must keep them.