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Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by rb808 on Friday March 31, 2017 @12:46PM (#14005586)
Ironically we go to the library much less now that its easy to borrow ebooks with kindle and reading apps. overdrive is great. I was starting to see a future without libraries.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by SomeStupidPoint on Friday March 31, 2017 @01:05PM (#14005777)
The libraries here seem to have transitioned heavily to services and tech.

The computers have not only internet, but MS Office and Adobe products, and I see everything from playing games and social media to job hunting and learning being done on them. (There's even a special bank of computers with resources for job hunting downtown.)

Pretty much every day, the library holds some kind of starting a business, learning to use tech, ESL, or other kind of class.

Then there's the cultural shows (opera, movies, story readings) and free tax prep services at the central branch downtown.

The library also provides desks to work at, which are used by students (HS and college), professionals, the homeless, etc. The value of a workspace in the city is itself fairly large. I made frequent use of it when working as a freelancer. Cheaper than coworking space, cafe on site, reliable internet, etc.

And of course, the library is still a library. Their ebook collection is nowhere near the size and scope of their physical book collection. Not just the normal stuff of modern books, but fairly large archives of things like financial reports, magazine editions, etc stretching back nearly 100 years (longer in a few cases), a rare book collection, specialty archives, a collection of official government documents, and probably more Im forgetting.

That isn't stuff I need every day, most of my borrowing is (or could be) ebook/audiobook, but I think the city would be poorer without a publicly owned archive of history, even if there were digital copies available. There's something about reading a book older than your great grandparents that digital copies don't replace.

Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by ocdtrekkie on Friday March 31, 2017 @03:09PM (#14007118)
People have a hard time realizing libraries are so much more than books these days. I'm a former library employee, and it was always interesting seeing how the library adapted to interests and needs of the community.

My local library now has as big of a movie rental library (for free!) as any Blockbuster back in the day, has 3D printers available for use, and office areas meant for use by startups needing some space to work.

Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by SomeStupidPoint on Friday March 31, 2017 @03:29PM (#14007297)
I knew I was forgetting things!

The library has an extensive DVD collection (TV, movies, etc), CD collection (music, etc), script collection (plays and other theater), sheet music collection, music practice rooms, and of course, a foreign language collection for all the kinds of media.

Oh! And a collection of maps, covering both a large geographic area and over time so you can see the evolution of local cities. (Actually, 3 map collections -- US government Dept of Interior/USGS, other broad scale ones, and then a special collection for local ones.)

Im pretty sure I'm still forgetting things. The library system is actually kind of awe-inspiring in what they manage to collect and archive. Once you consider their relationships with local university archives, other cities, and county level systems, their total system is staggering.

I could never say enough good things about the library, and it's one of the best civic investments we make because it does so many things at once.

[dead]
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by massysett on Friday March 31, 2017 @08:00PM (#14009489)
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by germinalphrase on Friday March 31, 2017 @05:15PM (#14008333)
Yea - they probably should be. Discussing the cost of day care with friends it amounts nearly an additional mortgage payment every month.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by eric_the_read on Friday March 31, 2017 @07:06PM (#14009200)
In a surprisingly large number of families where one family member earns a lot and the other much less, the cost of daycare can match or even occasionally outstrip the money brought into the family by the lower-wage earner. My wife recently started working at an early learning center, and during the summer, her salary is nearly entirely devoted to paying for the day camp for our school-age kids. If she had wanted to work full-time before they had started school, we'd most likely have been in the red.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by stinkytaco on Friday March 31, 2017 @05:15PM (#14008328)
The physical space is a big one, I think. There are many ways a library could be "replaced": Wikipedia, content piracy, cheaper home Internet and so on. But simply having a physical place is something Google cannot give you. That's why library architecture is such a huge part of the literature, I think.

But based on our numbers and the community research we've done over the years, I think it's still physical materials the drive the bus. People like stuff, real stuff.

Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by mattnewton on Friday March 31, 2017 @12:55PM (#14005681)
People with large book collections never _needed_ the library, it was always the people who had no budget from books that benefited the most. I think that will continue to be the case, maybe more so if they take on the mantle of internet access.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by cilea on Friday March 31, 2017 @02:37PM (#14006705)
Here, in Toronto, you can borrow ebooks from the public library without physically being at the library. You will not find the latest edition but it is suffice for most patrons. The Reference Library at downtown is decent (good atmosphere) but WiFi is intermittent at times.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by maxxxxx on Friday March 31, 2017 @04:55PM (#14008095)
In LA you can also borrow Kindle books through the library. The only drawback is that you sometimes have to wait a few weeks.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by stinkytaco on Friday March 31, 2017 @05:07PM (#14008209)
Uggg... the waiting lists. It drives me crazy that libraries actually pay more for ebooks than for physical books. Like, a lot more.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by jff on Friday March 31, 2017 @05:03PM (#14008171)
On paper, Overdrive is everything I want, but every time I try to use the damn Android app it makes me want to just drive to the library instead. How many times should I need to enter my library card # to check out an ebook?
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by stinkytaco on Friday March 31, 2017 @05:06PM (#14008196)
Just a heads up, but the most recent update really helped with that. It keeps you logged in longer. That was a major frustration, I think I probably had about 50 comments on it.
Re:Libraries have become a broadband lifeline for students by loeg on Friday March 31, 2017 @02:56PM (#14006960)
I get my ebooks (incl. overdrive) via my library's access.