Monday, February 18, 2013

Can Libraries Survive in an Era of Budget Cutbacks?

Can Libraries Survive in an Era of Budget Cutbacks?

5 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am worried. I think the future will be in virtual libraries where you can download books/music/dvds at home. Maybe not the near future but soon.
I heard today about personalized newspapers to be delivered to subscribers via email everyday. You tell them what interests you and they compile it to suit you with intuitive ability to add on. Eek.

mybillcrider said...

O brave new world. . . .

Bud said...

Isaac Asimov's The Naked Sun's Solarian society becomes reality!

Gerard said...

Public libraries run on local funding. If the local economy is strong the library is usually strong.

An exception would be places like Hartford, WI which has a brand-new building but a city council peopled by anti-tax, anti-government, anti-whatever-you-say people who want something for nothing.

Rick Robinson said...

We live on the cusp of two counties, one has financial problems with the excellent library system, the county drained off funds for other things, specifically bike lane development, while the other county has a smaller but very good library system strong on physical books, CDs and DVDs, periodicals and what we'd expect ten or twenty years ago. We go to both but pay extra taxes for the big one as that's the county we live in.

It seems like the more "virtual library" there is, the weaker the over-all system.