Comments on: Publishers, beware: ‘The future of libraries, with or without books’ http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:05:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Carol A http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1144432 Carol A Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:42:59 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/09/05/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/#comment-1144432 Some years ago they tried to close a library I use a lot - and some local politicians were left feeling very bruised after several hundred very angry (and very articulate) readers turned up to a poorly advertised public meeting about the closure. The hit of the night was a man who got up and said that he had left school at 14 barely able to read and write and had managed to educate himself by using the library's resources. Needless to say the library is still very much open and no politician has dared to make even the slightest negative comment about libraries ever again. Some years ago they tried to close a library I use a lot – and some local politicians were left feeling very bruised after several hundred very angry (and very articulate) readers turned up to a poorly advertised public meeting about the closure. The hit of the night was a man who got up and said that he had left school at 14 barely able to read and write and had managed to educate himself by using the library’s resources. Needless to say the library is still very much open and no politician has dared to make even the slightest negative comment about libraries ever again.

]]> By: Graham Storrs http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1144126 Graham Storrs Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:13:31 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/09/05/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/#comment-1144126 Poor people need libraries. Poor people need to be able to read books for free. I'm from a very poor background and, without public libraries, I wouldn't have read a hundredth of what I did as a child. Books are outrageously-expensive luxury items when you can't afford food and rent. Whether we need bricks and mortar and large collections of paper books is another matter. If every man, woman and (especially) child is given an e-book reader and a free Internet accout for downloading books, all you really need is one, well-stocked, national library, sitting on the Internet somewhere. Poor people need libraries. Poor people need to be able to read books for free. I’m from a very poor background and, without public libraries, I wouldn’t have read a hundredth of what I did as a child. Books are outrageously-expensive luxury items when you can’t afford food and rent.

Whether we need bricks and mortar and large collections of paper books is another matter. If every man, woman and (especially) child is given an e-book reader and a free Internet accout for downloading books, all you really need is one, well-stocked, national library, sitting on the Internet somewhere.

]]> By: Felix Torres http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1143651 Felix Torres Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:46:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/09/05/publishers-beware-the-future-of-libraries-with-or-without-books/#comment-1143651 Libraries are not only necessary but essential community resources. Publishers just need to understand that they are *not* the center of the universe and libraries are not just about books. They haven't been so for a couple decades, now. Those guys really need to wake up and smell the coffee. At a minimum, they need to get out of their glass towers once in a while. This is what modern libraries are like: http://www.newsweek.com/id/192764 Libraries are not only necessary but essential community resources.
Publishers just need to understand that they are *not* the center of the universe and libraries are not just about books.
They haven’t been so for a couple decades, now.
Those guys really need to wake up and smell the coffee. At a minimum, they need to get out of their glass towers once in a while.
This is what modern libraries are like:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/192764

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