Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey
Just what is the role of libraries in the digital age - books? all media? student centers? job centers? tax centers? community centers? or all of it? And if it's all of it, then shouldn't the separate government agencies that currently perform these functions be combined to better utilize tax dollars?
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Well, it's my understanding that they've been a combination of all of the above for decades. The libraries I grew up with offered all kinds of services.
When I lived in Texas 20 years ago, the local library offered VHS tapes and audio books on tape and CD. You could also check out film strips, and software.
The main library in San Jose, where I spent my summers, used to let people check out chess sets. I once spent a whole summer playing chess and reading chess books. Great times.
Today I do see homework help going on at libraries. As well as literacy programs. Also, libraries are often attached to community centers and special events are promoted there. I don't see paper books going away anytime soon. Every time I go to a library, I see people checking out paper books. Also, when I look in the card catalog (well,
online catalog) a lot of times I see the book I want checked out.
If anything, St. Louis is
behind the curve on this by decades. Unless Library District Director Charles Pace is just talking out of his bum. I mean, if it just got remodeled nine months ago, then I suspect that they don't need the money for a brand new HQ. I know public building designed in the 1960s aren't exactly the pretty places to be in, but the remodel should have fixed some of that. If it didn't, then I wouldn't trust them to design a new one.