Articles by Librarians Should Replace Opinion Pieces by The Uninformed

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From BookRiot:

Yesterday morning, a coworker forwarded me the link to an article on the Forbes website, along with her commentary that was basically, “No. Just no, no, no, no, nope, no.”

Naturally, I had to follow that link. The headline alone made me inclined to agree with her reaction. The article, Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money, is another example of why people who don’t have the slightest idea about libraries shouldn’t write about them.

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Update: The article has since been deleted, I think in no small part because of the amount of backlash it drew.

. . . .

Basically, his main argument is exactly what it sounds like. He believes that libraries no longer have the same value they once had. He argues that the rise of digital technology, streaming services, Amazon books, and Starbucks have made libraries less vital to the community.

And he couldn’t be more wrong.

The whole article comes across as very clearly written by someone who doesn’t use his local library—and what I’m sure are the many resources it provides—and is out of touch with how libraries affect their communities. The article is written from a place of extreme out-of-touch privilege.

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To assume everyone has the same means to access digital resources, or Amazon books, or streaming services, or Starbucks is mind-bogglingly out of touch. Has he simply not spoken to people outside of his bubble lately? Because I’m not sure how best to break this to the author, but libraries are here to serve the public. The entire public. Which includes the large section of the public who need access to books they can’t just easily buy. Or computers they don’t have access to at home. Or a safe, comfortable space to hang out, where you don’t have to buy anything to have access.

Link to the rest at BookRiot

3 thoughts on “Articles by Librarians Should Replace Opinion Pieces by The Uninformed”

  1. I guess BookRiot missed that it wasn’t so much about libraries as it was yet another ADS piece …

  2. To assume everyone has the same means to access digital resources, or Amazon books, or streaming services, or Starbucks is mind-bogglingly out of touch.

    To assume everyone needs the library is also mind-bogglingly out of touch. It’s reasonable to look at the user base for public services, and changes in that user base over time. That leads to an evaluation of the distribution of public funds over all services. No public service is immune from such examination.

  3. Skimmed through the OP on Book Riot — wow, that’s a librarian I’d never want to encounter. I wonder if she drips with that much condescension in the library when she’s working with the public.

    If you can’t make your point without such a venomous headline or referring to “privilege” then you’re going to alienate the majority of people who (surprise) pay the taxes that fund libraries.

    As Anon pointed out above, “no public service is immune from such examination.”

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