Libraries Can Be More Than Just Books (2017)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/opinion/libraries-affordable-housing.html

by Tomte • 8 years ago

62 24 8 years ago

nytimes.com

roymckenzie• 8 years ago

They could be augmented with datacenters for a distributed search index that is based on open source software.

rainbowmverse• 8 years ago

Georgia already has this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_(software)

kiliantics• 8 years ago

This is not what the article discusses but the title made me think it would: why do we only have libraries for books? Why haven't we made libraries for other useful resources? It makes sense from a perspective of evening the playing field, as libraries are supposed to, but also from a sustainability perspective too.

There are so many things that people will buy and only use once or twice a year, if even that often. We could save ourselves a lot of productive effort and resources by putting a few versions of these things in a library for hundreds of people to make use of. Things like say power tools, or any fairly specialised tool in general. I think you can take this idea really far, like even having clothes libraries - you could have all new clothes all the time and someone else could have new clothes when you're tired of the ones you've been wearing.

trumped• 8 years ago

Lyft/Uber are like libraries for cars...

andrewl• 8 years ago

Stores that rent formal wear for weddings and similar events are clothing libraries of a sort, although you pay the "library" directly instead of through your taxes.

tokai• 8 years ago

I have been to libraries that have things like toys, hardware tools, and umbrellas that the public can lend. Got a plug-in power meter for 14 days, to estimate the power cost of my aquarium. They also provide a service where you can "lend" a person to chat with. I once worked at an university library (which is also open to the public), where we had a collection of historical artefacts of graphical design. Most of the documents are things like cigarette packages, typefaces, shopping bags, etc.

So in my experience libraries are pretty open to a broad range of resources, even non-informational ones. The concept of a document, is in the library science literature, often understood as very inclusive.[0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Briet#Impact_on_inform...

briandear2• 8 years ago

There are already places that rent tools. And some of us buy power tools because we want to have it easily available for use. A well cared for, high quality tool will last a lifetime, so just because I might not use it every day doesn’t mean that I am not going to enjoy years of use. As far as tools that are actually rarely used (a trench digger for example,) that what rental shops are for. Why should government get into the rental business? There are already those types of businesses in place and they’re great: people that care about renting power tools can pay to rent power tools without requiring literally the entirety of society to support their ability to rent power tools.

As far as clothes — there are already resale shops that are really efficient at this.

If you want to further improve sustainability, then provide tax cuts for those types of businesses to provide them incentives to keep operating and to be able to provide lower prices.

The point is that everything you describe already exists in the private sector.

legostormtroopr• 8 years ago

Library's should be more than just books.

When the idea of the public library was first conceived, information was published and disseminated using print media - books, newspapers, magazines and the like. The role of the public library wasn't to give books to the public, it was to give information to the public. But at the time the best way to give access to this information was using a room full of books, they used the same name for both a room full of books (a library) and a place where the public could get information (a library).

Now days, since the source and publication of information has changed so dramatically, the role of the public library must stay the same - to provide free and easy access to information to the public. But how they perform that role must change.

randyrand2• 8 years ago

not just information, but useful information. libraries have an important curation role as well, in addition to storage. We cant let the internet archive be the only modern day library.

chii• 8 years ago

not just information, but useful information.

all information is useful, as utility is dependent on the context for which the information is needed.

7952• 8 years ago

I think it depends on who is actually using the library. An elderly person looking for information on cancer, or a trashy romance novel probably just wants a book. A parent feeding their kids habit for book about fairies probably just wants lots and lots of books. It is easy to jump on bandwagons that may have limited appeal to existing users. Books are an excellent source of information in particular contexts. And using technology as a replacement is in its infancy for some type of book.

elchief• 8 years ago

I just joined a tool library in my neighborhood ($1/day for power tools), but thought to myself, why doesn't my library have a room (and staff member) for this?

exDM693• 8 years ago

Where I'm from, libraries borrow power tools for free. It kinda makes sense because they already have the infrastructure for storing, borrowing and getting back lost items.

Other things you can borrow or use in local libraries: cargo bikes, moving trolleys, sports equipment (tennis rackets, skis, skates...), board games (never had a single missing item in any I've borrowed), 3d printers, laser cutters, music rehearsal and recoding studios (with grand pianos), tents for camping, tablets and computers, musical instruments, etc.

I think this is great because it makes these things available to the less privileged and I don't mind paying the taxes to support this.

my_username_is_• 8 years ago

This begs the question--where are you from? I think your experience is likely fairly atypical.

briandear2• 8 years ago

I am not ok with paying taxes to support this. I have to pay 50% of my after tax pay for housing. So I really don’t care if some less privileged person can borrow a 3D printer.

eeZah7Ux• 8 years ago

Like a mixture of library and hackerspace? Sounds like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture

pronoiac• 8 years ago

Going from the title, I was going to talk about how I can get DVDs, CDs, Blurays, and ebooks from my library; I'm a regular.

I wasn't expecting "housing," though nice that you mention it, why yes, I would like to live in the same building as a library.

duxup• 8 years ago

My local library has a play area for kids. It's great to go in the winter to get out of the house, and the kids can read, play.

randyrand2• 8 years ago

the purpose of a library is to indefinitely store important information for easy public access and cull the fat. They are curators and information stores.

The need for curation has only increased in the information overload stage and libraries are still desperately needed. Libraries need to operate more like the internet archive.

fsloth• 8 years ago

I wasn't expecting housing. That was a bit surprising.

As a related example, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries offer various services including makers spaces with 3D printers: http://www.helmet.fi/en-US/Libraries_and_services/Library_Ma...

One can reserve the printers online, see their status and so on.

Libraries are a wonderful existing resource to that can be leveraged to build a platform for non-profit communal activities.

dominotw• 8 years ago

They have these in Chicago. Seems to have fallen wayside recently.

Libraries Can Be More Than Just Books (2017)

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