Sometimes it is difficult for those of us who are able to obtain the electronic devices to remember that there are so many who cannot. I live in the SW corner of Missouri, on the edge of the Ozarks, an area similar to the rural areas of Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia, etc. where many people struggle to find jobs and pay bills. I'm preaching to the choir here in stating how important reading and literature is to intellectual development in children, especially; and unless and until electronic eReaders become universally affordable, pBooks and libraries are extremely important resources to guarantee freedom of thought and the educational basis of a voting public (Jefferson, et. al.)
Back on topic here, any cuts to library spending will be counter-productive, whether it's to purchase fewer eBooks or pBooks or fire librarians. We cannot rely on students in our schools to voluntarily make use of library facilities until we make them readily and freely available and train them how to use them. If we eliminate instructors and require ownership of the electronic media with which to access our growing literary database, we are failing at ground zero. @kennyc is right-on in pointing out the widening class distinction gap. We all benefit from libraries, whether we use them as such or not.
