Think Libraries Don't Matter? Think Again

Think Libraries Don't Matter? Think Again

91 percent of Americans say libraries are important to their communities. Why?

Psychology Today: 8.20.2014 by Denise Cummins, Ph.D.

There is a growing chorus of critics who argue that public libraries are no longer needed, and they are fueling efforts to cut public funding of libraries.

These detractors tend to fall into three camps.

First, there are those who believe books-as-physical-objects are quaint relics of the past. In this brave new 21st century, print media is getting replaced rapidly by digital media.

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The second camp includes writers who believe that libraries cut into their personal profits precisely because people can go there to rent their books for free.

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The third camp includes primarily affluent people who don't use libraries much and therefore argue that because they do not use something, it has no value for anyone.

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Are these detractors right to argue that libraries are nothing more than antequated [sic] places to go to rob authors of their hard earned dollars? Well, not so much. You see, libraries are more than places to rent books for free. They are the hub—the lifeblood—of American communities.  READ MORE !