Without a doubt in my entire academic life the books have been the least useful thing libraries contained. Getting rid of them provides space for the good and productive things people do in a library.

It is important that students have quiet space to study. But libraries as book storages have very little utility and seem very hard to justify.

Ah, from that point of view, I can agree. It’s shocking how few books I can find in my local library. Not a single one by GK Chesterton, and half a million people live in my town. Wtf?

Still, I think we should keep books as available to citizens as possible.

>Still, I think we should keep books as available to citizens as possible.

I agree. But it is obviously far more cost effective and useful to have that access be digital first.

Do not understand me wrong, I like physical books. But for doing research it is almost always preferable to have the books be available digitally. And students should learn to make use of that.

>libraries as book storages have very little utility and seem very hard to justify.

Great, let's pass laws that give parity rights to digital goods, including ebooks. You have a copy? You can lend that copy. Yes, forever.