Use it or lose it?

[Maggy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12340505

With more than 400 public libraries under threat of closure, the campaign to save them is gathering pace. But in an age of downloads, cheap books and easy online shopping, can this great British institution survive?

So where do you stand in the discussion?Should we maintain our libraries or can the internet and technology replace them?

[martyh]

We certainly don't need them as much as we did ,when i was young our local library was part of my childhood just as much as the local park ,even when my oldest son was young throught the 90's he used the library but i don't think my youngest son has ever been in one ,he's never needed to he has always had access to the internet whereas my other son didn't

[Tezcatlipoca]

Keep them. Unless I've missed something & you can "rent" ebooks for free from iBooks/Kindle.

[joglynne]

I would be very sorry to loose my local library as I borrow on average 10 books every couple of weeks, I suppose I'm Old School in that I love the feel of a book and have found other formats not as enjoyable and buying all the books I read would send my already bulging book shelves crashing through the floor.

I rarely use the Reference section any more though as I can usually do all my research on the net and at the most only need to order specialist books a couple of times a year. Being able to pre-order, and reserve, books on the net was a good innovation and has worked well for me.

If the library service were to close my sub-branch it wouldn't be the end of the world as I have the transport to be able to get to our main Library but it would be a great loss to my community as it has well attended book reading groups for both adults and children, hosts writers groups and various other book related activities.

[Taf]

Our autistic son has finally discovered the joy of books at age 19, and the local libraries are Alladin's Caves of joy and information for him.

Beaurocrats hiding behind desks elsewhere are no doubt trying to make the cuts in libraries to defend their own job security.

A shame.

[budwieser]

Our autistic son has finally discovered the joy of books at age 19, and the local libraries are Alladin's Caves of joy and information for him.

Beaurocrats hiding behind desks elsewhere are no doubt trying to make the cuts in libraries to defend their own job security.

A shame.
Books are a Beautiful thing for your son mate. Let him enjoy them! :)
Some people with Autism enjoy a different world to others.;)

[Angua]

Our local library is an invaluable source of information an a myriad of things. Not just via books! People who cannot afford or do not have the internet can get on line free. People who are researching local family history can get help and information. Jobseekers can use the local papers provided to find work. Story time for the toddlers. Borrowing music & DVD's at an affordable cost and of course the huge range of fiction & non fiction to borrow. As someone who reads 3 or 4 books a week I would be in the local psychiatric unit without the library.

They seem to be going down the "volunteer/Big society" route for some of the smaller local libraries.

Save our libraries - like Alexandria once lost, never to be recovered.

[admars]

I haven't used the library in years, but I popped in my local one (rather than the main town center one) the other day mid morning, I was surprised how busy it was.

Down one end there was some kind of OAP meeting going on. By the periodicals there were a few ppl sat down reading newspapers. I was quite surprised magazines weren't just trade/serious mags but also Empire, Total Film, a computer games mag, some ladies mags.

All the internet PCs were in use, and ppl were queued up to use the self service check in/out machines.

I guess I, like many ppl had forgotten the points Angua above has made, I just think of it as somewhere to borrow books, but it clearly is used as much more than that to a lot of people.

[Hugh]

Keep them - invaluable resource to those who can't afford books, and also an important social space.

[Theodoric]

I've been a member of many libraries over the years (and we're talking decades here :)) and I would sorely miss our local library if it closed. Yes, as has been pointed out, they are much less essential for finding specific pieces of information than was once the case but they are still very useful - for example, our library has a full set of Which.

However, there is one aspect of a library that you can't really duplicate on the Internet and that is browsing. Nothing beats going into your library and more or less picking up books at random and then glancing through them. Serendipity can reign supreme!

[moaningmags]

Definitely keep them!
You can't beat lying in bed or chilling out on the sofa while reading a book. I've just finished a series of books that I read first on the computer and reading the actual books was so much better :)

[Paul]

Personally I wouldnt miss ours, I cannot remember the last time I set foot in it.

[dilli-theclaw]

I use my library a lot so yup I'd miss it, added to that I like the fact Peter reads a lot of books from there.

[Maggy]

I use my library a lot so yup I'd miss it, added to that I like the fact Peter reads a lot of books from there.

Going by the number of audio books that are borrowed in my local library I reckon they are a great support to the poorly sighted..Also I can borrow 30 items in total.I can also get a cup of tea or coffee as well.:D

[dilli-theclaw]

Indeed :) and they can usually get what I'm after really quickly too:)

[idi banashapan]

i get the feeling that were this question posed to a wide enough audience, the results would exhibit a divide by generation. I think those of us around say 30 and under, wouldn't (generally) miss the library as we have (on the most) grown up as the online-generation. those above 40 or so would likely have used libraries a lot more.

personally, I wouldn't miss my local library at all. in fact, I'm not actually sure where it even is. If I want/need a book, I'll get it from amazon. If i need information or reference material for a something, I'll look online. 'renting' a book is just too much time and effort in comparison to getting the information within 5 minutes whilst I sip my tea. let's face it, the internet has become the biggest knowledge base ever known and it's instant.

[Damien]

Problem is there seems to the a continued reduction in the number of people using them, I would say keep them but start putting greater emphasis on allowing people to use computers and the Internet there.

[Maggy]

i get the feeling that were this question posed to a wide enough audience, the results would exhibit a divide by generation. I think those of us around say 30 and under, wouldn't (generally) miss the library as we have (on the most) grown up as the online-generation. those above 40 or so would likely have used libraries a lot more.

personally, I wouldn't miss my local library at all. in fact, I'm not actually sure where it even is. If I want/need a book, I'll get it from amazon. If i need information or reference material for a something, I'll look online. 'renting' a book is just too much time and effort in comparison to getting the information within 5 minutes whilst I sip my tea. let's face it, the internet has become the biggest knowledge base ever known and it's instant.

But the point of a library is you can access books for free provided you are residing in the area.
No need to pay for books from Amazon and the library WILL purchase books on suggestion from it's members.Using the online catalogue I can peruse at home on my PC and find a whole series of books by one author and at the cost of 50 pence per book order them to be delivered to the local library.Far cheaper than buying new AND I'm not cluttering up my shelves.

---------- Post added at 01:09 ---------- Previous post was at 00:59 ----------

Problem is there seems to the a continued reduction in the number of people using them, I would say keep them but start putting greater emphasis on allowing people to use computers and the Internet there.

They already do this.
The problem is it costs to advertise and with little funding available libraries aren't getting what they do provide across to the general public.Unless you attend the library or pass it regularly you aren't going to know what is available.

I was charmed earlier this week to be serenaded by a group of under fives finishing their regular story time session with a few nursery rhymes.I also see the local Infants and Juniors being crocodiled to and from the library because it is only a 5 minute walk from the school gates.

[Fingy]

My local one is really good and is in the grounds of the primary school. Literally a couple of minutes walk from the school building to there and no roads to cross. I have seen quite a few kids in there after school doing their homework.

My mum knows all the staff, they know what kind of books she reads and they order in for her all the time and even tell her of ones they have noticed she may be interested in.

[idi banashapan]

But the point of a library is you can access books for free provided you are residing in the area.
No need to pay for books from Amazon and the library WILL purchase books on suggestion from it's members.Using the online catalogue I can peruse at home on my PC and find a whole series of books by one author and at the cost of 50 pence per book order them to be delivered to the local library.Far cheaper than buying new AND I'm not cluttering up my shelves.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I totally understand that for some the benefit of a local library is massive, which would be why I would always vote to keep them. But in general, I believe the general divide would appear within those age groups (<=~30 and >=~40). I personally don't use my local library, but that doesn't mean others don't either.

I also feel that if a book is worth reading, I would buy it. To be honest, I don't ever read fiction/fantasy books or stories. My book self is filled with psychology and human behavioral books and science stuff. I simply don't have the patience to read a story. In the same vein, I don't really watch many films. I'm much more a music person and would rather spend my time listening to something (as indeed I am now).

Libraries are without doubt of value to communities, but I do rather think less so than 20 years or more ago. The internet has completely changes the way in which people research.