this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2024
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My wife is a library administrator here in Indiana. Libraries are amazing. Aside from all of the free books, movies, music, audiobooks both physical media and streaming and ebooks, this is what our public library offers. This is a small city and this is not unusual for public libraries:

Free internet with a computer lab. You don't even need a library card.

Board games and TTRPGs available for loan.

Free 3D printing.

Free laser cutting and engraving.

Games for multiple consoles.

An HTC Vive headset, a PS4 and an XBox for the teen room (although adults can use them too).

A playroom for babies and toddlers with all kinds of toys and things to climb on.

Kits you can take home to learn things like how to play the ukulele or how to crochet.

And, of course, like most libraries, meeting rooms for anyone to use.

A new branch is being built in another part of town and it will have a room with a lockable door and a sign-up sheet. One person will be allowed in at a time. Inside will be a washer, a dryer and a shower, all free to use.

On top of all this, the library is also willing to make deliveries to your home for free once a month if you can't make it in or just don't want to.

Librarians are also living Wikipedia/web Searches. They will happily look up any information for you that you could possibly ask. They will do all the research they can to help you. That's part of their job and part of what they went to school for- did you know librarians are generally expected to have masters degrees in library science?

Public libraries are fucking incredible. They are not just for poor people or homeless people or whatever silly thing people might think about them. Go in and check out the one in your area. You don't need a card to get in. You may not need a card to use a single service while you're there. You might only need a card to take things out or use online services.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

libraries with library cards don't exist around here

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

When I was a kid my mom took us to the library all the time. I always got programming books for BASIC. Like 30 years later I'm a SR Software Engineer. It works. Educate your kids. At least don't inhibit them.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What. Our local library just got moved to a new building and the librarians are already complaining about having less space. And they don't have any of the cool stuff like laser cutting and 3d printing.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sounds like you need to try to get on your town's library board and change things.

Or at least try to work with them on it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I doubt that would do anything. I mean the building does have rooms meant for club meetings and does organise some events but that is it. It's just a place for organising these types of things. The library just offers the classics. Books cds newspapers free internet. I also doubt anything much would be possible since it's a smaller town.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It can definitely be tough in a smaller town because of smaller budgets. That said, if there is something media-wise they don't have, they can probably get it for you from another library.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Yeah they probably would. The library is one of about 20 different libraries under the same library in the next town. So if they don't have it one of the others might. If I really needed it anyway I can just go into one of the larger libraries in the capital during the week when I am atending uni classes.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Anything I can rent at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Really? How exactly do you plan on pirating a ukulele or a crochet needle?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Wait, your library rents out more than books and DVDs? Our local library once had Kill a Watt devices on loan, but you could never get one and I believe they no longer do that.

I'd make use of renting other items if it were an option!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't really want either of those things. Maybe if the library has something I wanted it would be different

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This is what you said:

Anything I can rent at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

What you meant was:

Anything I want that is at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

Libraries do not exist for your personal benefit, and I doubt you have taken the time to check out what is available at your local library to actually know that for sure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You're right, I misspoke. Simply responding to the assertion that it's dumb not to have a library card if you like free stuff. Not everyone wants what the library is offering.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But see, I don't even agree there. Because it's not even really everything you want unless you have extremely bland, mainstream tastes. It's everything you want that you can find available for download. Not every book, album, TV show and movie has been digitized and uploaded. There is most likely a book you'd be interested in reading or a movie you'd be interested in watching or music you'd be interested in hearing that is not available for download. Or if it is, no one has put it on a pirate site. Has that not happened to you? Because I pirate too and that happens to me enough that I know I can't pirate everything I want.

This coincidentally happened to me a few days ago. My daughter wanted to read a graphic novel. I couldn't find it pirated anywhere. The library had it. Now she's reading it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Nah. If something is niche enough that it's hard to find on the internet, there's no chance my local library will have it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Have you actually checked to find out if that is true? It isn't true in this town. It's a central Indiana town. We don't have a lot of people interested in obscure graphic novels here.

And do you know that if one library doesn't have something, they can get it for you from another library?

[–] [email protected] -3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Why would I go to the library if I never find myself in the situation of being unable to find the thing I want without going to the library?

Plus with the library you are only renting the thing. And that's a pain in the ass because you have to keep bringing stuff back.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

You really know nothing about libraries. First of all, you check things out from libraries, you don't rent them. Secondly, you can check out as many items as you like at one time in most libraries, you just have to return them within a certain time limit. And then there are all the online services which don't even require you to physically be in the library. I mean you're saying silly things that just aren't true.

And you are saying that your tastes are so mainstream and bland that there is never anything you might want that someone hasn't decided to digitize and make available for download from pirate sites?

If that's the case, you have my pity.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Checking out, renting, whatever, you know what I meant.

And I think you're vastly underestimating the amount of media on the internet if you know how to look for it. I find lots of very niche stuff out there with a bit of digging.

Also, if you think you're better than others simply because your tastes are less "mainstream" or "bland", you're the one who's pitiable.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I'm not underestimating anything. If anyone is underestimating something, it would be the person underestimating the vast amount of media which has never been digitized.

Also, whether you meant 'rent' or not, you were still simply wrong about only being able to get one thing at a time. Or even having to go to the library itself. If you had read my OP fully, you would see that the library here (and many others) makes free deliveries. You have said a couple of things now which makes me think you did not read my original post all the way through.

Your whole argument seems to be "I never need to use to a library because nothing I ever might possibly want to watch, read or listen to could ever be there since every single word, frame and note I care to experience is definitely able to be downloaded." Meaning you have absolutely no interest in anything that hasn't been digitized yet. And considering the vast amount of media that has never been digitized, yes, I'm sorry, you have very mainstream and bland tastes. Which does make me pity you. Does it make me better than you? No. But it does make me pity how closed off you are to the opportunities the world has given you.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago

My local library in russia isn't that funded, but I had weeks worth of reading books and old magazines there. They try to actualize themselves by organizing poetry and arts clubs, places to write our national Total Dictation challenge, inviting highschoolers, but there aren't as many regular visitors as they deserve. Libraries are based and I thank you for speaking about them.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Where I am we also have state libraries and a national library. I haven't fully explored either of them, but the most useful thing I've found they have are a shit ton of records and newspapers. My state library has soooo many records.its truly mind boggling. The national library has digitised about the same amount of newspapers and gazettes as the entire population of my country. They also keep almost the same amount of records just relating to Australia (or "of interest" to Australians) as the entire population of the planet

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Exactly the same with the library here. Tons of local records archived. People come in to do genealogy research all the time.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I get the meme but libraries aren't free, they're funded by tax dollars.

Demand better libraries since you're paying for them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

What else apart from what I listed above would you like libraries to offer?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

"Ackchyually... 🤓"

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That heavily relies on me actually paying my taxes 😉

/s

pay your taxes

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

And not just because it helps your community, but your tax authority will make your life absolutely suck once they find out you're not paying.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Unless you make millions, then you get away with it cause they dont have the budget for the lawsuit to be dragged out due to massive budget cuts from a certain party.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

The library was how I had access to Nintendo Power as a kid because my parents would not get me a subscription.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Someone drove a truck into my local library and the city forced them into this tiny unit in a strip mall where they don't have room for all the cool shit now. I'm not sure if they are even going to let the library even go back to it's original building either because of some bible thumpers and the building's history.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Time to start going to city hall meetings and encouraging your neighbors to do the same.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

So does the rest of the country, many of them literally have no free time or energy to fight for themselves because they are too busy trying to survive.

Sack up and admit to yourself you just don't really give enough of a shit. It's fine, we all are guilty no judgement. But own it don't give this bs excuse to try to justify your inaction.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Insightful comment lmao

[–] [email protected] 21 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Our library has a tool library, will lend out sewing machines, and has a seed library. Oh! and a museum pass program!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What exactly is a seed library?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Free packages of seeds for you to plant in your garden. You are supposed to return seeds from what you grow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_library

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

I forgot about the seed library our library has as well! And there isn't a tool library to lend, but they do have three sewing machines you can use while you're there.

I'm going to talk to my wife and see what she thinks about a tool library.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Tool libraries are amazing. So many tools are overpriced to use just once/a couple times, or once in a blue moon.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I guess my public library just sucks shit then. Although when you live in a college town tourist trap hybrid hellhole that is richfeild UT i guess that makes sense

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I just went to the Richfield, Utah's library website contact page. It has an email for suggestions and also the email addresses of the trustees. I highly recommend contacting them and letting them know you want more from your library. Your town also appears to have a library board. I haven't done enough research to see when and where they meet, but if there is a board, there are board meetings that you might be able to attend.

Public libraries are called that for a reason. You are a member of the public. Tell them what you think and what you would like changed.

https://www.richfieldlibrary.com/Contact.html

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Thats very kind of you. Thank you.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 9 months ago

Libraries are legitimately one of the best things about modern society. I worked at one during college and it was amazing. Go support your local library everyone! Librarians are master researchers, they are like untapped oracles.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I just came from my local library. Got language CDs and travel books for a vacation. DVDs about national parks and a kit for monitoring a device's electricity use. And an electronic draft finder.

And there's much more like music, movies and ebooks.

Even if you do pay some fines you come out way ahead financially at the library.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

A lot of libraries (like the one here) don't even charge late fees. They will bill you for the media if you don't return it after several months and a lot of warnings, but no late fees.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

We just switched to no late fees as well, and it's nice, but I've noticed I'm holding items past the due date more. But I'm still getting the books I want, so it seems to be working well enough.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Similar policy in my library system. I assume most are not so.