Quote:
Originally Posted by JeremyR
I would say that libraries are the dinosaurs in the room.
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Or basically, $2 for every $1,000. Have a modest (say $100,000) home, the library will cost you $200 a year.
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How about this - everyone just keeps their money and uses it to buy the ebooks they want?
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It sounds like a lot of money, until you realize that the library houses individual books that cost more than $200 and that they often provide access to databases that cost more than $200 for an individual to access. And that's only considering the wealthy home owners, because there are plenty of people who aren't wealthy enough to afford that modest home (i.e. they wouldn't save that $200 in taxes to buy ebooks).
Libraries are a pooling of resources to serve a public good. We care about things like the public good because ignoring it has some pretty ugly consequences. Just take a look at the uprisings that have happened around the world, both in the present and in the past, when leaders have failed to address the basic needs of all citizens.