News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by rb808 on Friday July 27, 2018 @11:27AM (#17626655)
> try going to one

This is probably the best hint that they might not be so useful. The truth is most people never go to libraries.

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by zeugmasyllepsis on Friday July 27, 2018 @11:51AM (#17626853)
The truth is, plenty of people go to libraries. By my local library's annual 2017 report, they have 625,000 active library card holders which collectively visited the library over 10 million times. [1]

This is one of the busiest library systems in the country, but shows that, at least within a local region, libraries may be heavily used.

[1] https://kcls.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/03/2017-Ye...

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by EpicEng on Friday July 27, 2018 @01:04PM (#17627400)
>The truth is most people never go to libraries

The truth is, most people don't go to _any_ single place. A lot of people frequent libraries, but they're probably not in the same socioeconomic place as you. When you wrote that last sentence, did you stop to think that maybe you don't really know what you're talking about?

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by romaniv on Friday July 27, 2018 @11:29AM (#17626670)
Some users of this website might never go to libraries, but every time I go to our local library there are tons of people there.
Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by prolikewh0a on Friday July 27, 2018 @01:14PM (#17627465)
Every Seattle Public Library branch I go to is packed full every single day they're open, especially people using their computers.
Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by droopyEyelids on Friday July 27, 2018 @11:29AM (#17626672)
Most people don't go to hospitals either. At any given moment they're probably serving less than .5% of the population.
Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by rainbowmverse on Friday July 27, 2018 @01:06PM (#17627412)
Almost everyone in Georgia has and uses a PINES card, and they're very happy about it.[1] The library here in Winder just re-opened after renovating to add and expand a bunch of non-book services and make room for all the people who go to it.

You know nothing about libraries. Go to one.

[1] https://www.georgialibraries.org/lib/statistics/

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by bovermyer on Friday July 27, 2018 @11:30AM (#17626687)
"Most people," huh? Got a source for that?
Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by 394549 on Friday July 27, 2018 @12:43PM (#17627249)
>>> try going to one

>> This is probably the best hint that they might not be so useful. The truth is most people never go to libraries.

> "Most people," huh? Got a source for that?

His real name must be "Most People" and what he said is entirely an anecdote describing his own personal habits and preferences.

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by peckrob on Friday July 27, 2018 @02:41PM (#17628146)
My town just built a new library to replace the overcrowded old one a few years ago.

Just this week, they bought more property adjacent to the building because the new library is running out of parking.

That's a lot of people not going to a library. :)

Re:The last thing libraries need is Silicon Valley “disrupti... by TimTheTinker on Friday July 27, 2018 @12:20PM (#17627077)
> most people never go to libraries.

Perhaps, but most* people would benefit from doing so.

* >= 50%