Quote:
Originally Posted by rhadin
No it isn't. Originally, libraries charged for lending books. The change came about when Andrew Carnegie established free libraries and local communities agreed to finance libraries through tax dollars. Now that many communities are cutting back on library financing, there is no reason for libraries to not charge for some services.
I suspect that to fulfill its mission, a library need go no further than to make the books available to be read for free on premise.
|
Well, originally libraries contained scrolls in Greek that could only be read on-premises. And, yes, there were subscription libraries in the US and elsewhere after that, but they were never very successful or widespread. Public libraries - as we've known them for over 100 years - do not charge for books. That's the point.