Submitted by King-of-New-York t3_zhqq68 in nyc
Comments
solo-ran t1_iznneeb wrote
The job of a librarian in Brooklyn with two or three staff at 4pm and 100+ visitors including 70 under 18 versus an upstate rural or suburban librarian with the same personnel level but no more than 3 or 4 people at a time for roughly the same pay is…. Unbelievable.
King-of-New-York OP t1_iznqeyc wrote
City trained, ‘burbs drained.
Monkeyavelli t1_izpem46 wrote
Yes, but what if the NYPD needs to buy a tank?
solo-ran t1_izpevpi wrote
That's ridiculous. They need a lethal, GPS-operated, robotic, drone-tank hybrid that costs at least three libraries each. Fricken bleeding heart liberals...
ctindel t1_izv6ghs wrote
I can’t wait to see them start using a flamethrower drone.
Suhweetusername t1_iztplb0 wrote
What does the the NYPD have to do with this story?
cllabration t1_izuo772 wrote
Suhweetusername t1_j01zsgb wrote
So is the money going from the library system to the NYPD?
09-24-11 t1_izoqptw wrote
And that’s before we consider cost of living
WVOQuineMegaFan t1_izo2y6j wrote
Libraries are actually doing a good job of providing the services they're supposed to, so clearly they have too much money
butterfly_guts t1_izpgip7 wrote
Police do a bad job of protecting people and preventing crime, so clearly they have too little money.
I think I have a great idea! 🤓
Remarkable_Landscape t1_izo1nxu wrote
In case anyone is wondering, the $20 million dollars they're cutting is less than .2% of the NYPD's 10.8 BILLION dollar budget. At least when all those kids can't go to the library after school they can be rounded up and jailed efficiently.
yiannistheman t1_izogvyk wrote
It's OK - we kept that NYPD budget intact so that we could have an increase in crime, and proponents could just argue 'we need more cops'.
Makes sense, if you're a cop looking for OT. Everyone else? Not so much.
ejpusa t1_izomw3w wrote
I've been wondering about this. My Citizen App scans all the police and fire traffic. The number of times in 24 hours the police are actually called is really a handful of times.
Like almost never. Try it yourself. One homeless guy the other day, He was really doing nothing. 2 ambulances, at least 3 NYPD patrol cars, on the scene. It was the UES, but seemed way overboard.
And then everyone just walked away. He just stayed there, seemed amazed by all the attention. Guess it's what we're paying for.
user_joined_just_now t1_izqu4yd wrote
> My Citizen App scans all the police and fire traffic.
No it doesn't. There are roughly over 3000 911 calls a day. Even excluding all the purely medical calls, do you think every single one is on Citizen?
No_Apartment_2735 t1_izr2sxq wrote
you realize Citizen isn't accurate right? LOL
drpvn t1_izo3eke wrote
0.05% of the DOE’s $38 billion budget.
Remarkable_Landscape t1_izo45s0 wrote
Cutting schools to save libraries feels like trying to put out a fire by starting another fire in a different place. But yes, libraries are a very small part of the budget.
occasional_cynic t1_izocuau wrote
It wouldn't be cutting schools it would be finally doing something about the DOE's massive administrative bloat.
MortifiedPuppy t1_izokxf6 wrote
I fear the administrative bloat would remain and critical functions of the DOE would suffer
LoneStarTallBoi t1_izol4ms wrote
It would absolutely be cutting schools because they're never gonna take money from the administrators and do-nothings when they have the opportunity to take money from the kids and teachers.
IsayNigel t1_izp0mps wrote
This will never happen, any budget cuts will just get passed immediately to classroom.
drpvn t1_izo6vel wrote
Police aren’t even that massive a part of the city budget compared with other cities.
sagenumen t1_izou5gv wrote
What a dumbass argument
Desterado t1_izoo7cn wrote
I bet the DOE has way more employees, buildings, and equipment and infrastructure than the NYPD. They also don’t kill people.
drpvn t1_izoqm4b wrote
Of course, the DOE is an endless sprawl. That’s partly why it’s so expensive, despite the fact that fewer people use it each year.
DOE employees don’t kill people because their job isn’t public safety. Happily, NYPD almost never kills an unarmed person.
Desterado t1_izorc7t wrote
Nypd kills a lot of their own too. Do teachers do that a lot?
drpvn t1_izoryec wrote
Wat
Desterado t1_izos24q wrote
Nypd friendly fire is responsible for a significant number of line of duty deaths.
drpvn t1_izosyy4 wrote
I would think that would make you happy.
Desterado t1_izot5w0 wrote
As much as I dislike the NYPD I don’t want them to be killed and I don’t celebrate their death.
drpvn t1_izot8bs wrote
You’re deeply concerned about their safety, I see.
Desterado t1_izotmp9 wrote
I see you’re not interested in having an actual discussion.
drpvn t1_izottlf wrote
You are? About what? This is a thread about library funding.
Desterado t1_izou8yg wrote
And you brought up the DOE?
drpvn t1_izoudew wrote
Yeah, to contextualize the size of the NYPD budget, which someone else brought up. So what is it you want to discuss?
Desterado t1_izovd4l wrote
Right, the NYPD budget is way higher than it should be.
drpvn t1_izow7h9 wrote
Maybe you’re right, maybe not. I haven’t studied it closely. But the DOE’s budget is definitely higher than it should be.
Great discussion!
Desterado t1_izowbj3 wrote
Maybe next time you talk to someone don’t imply that they’re happy about people dying.
I bet there’s a lot you haven’t studied closely.
drpvn t1_izoxz8l wrote
Is this part of our “actual discussion”?
Desterado t1_izoy1p9 wrote
Nope. Just an addendum.
drpvn t1_izoz426 wrote
Feels like you never wanted an actual discussion.
Desterado t1_izoz8bc wrote
You suggested that I took joy in people dying. You’re the one that ended the discussion with that bullshit.
drpvn t1_izozvv7 wrote
What were we discussing?
Also, sorry, I had no idea that would upset you so much.
Desterado t1_izozxkw wrote
You can read. Go look it up.
drpvn t1_izp0896 wrote
You were making comments about how NYPD killed people and teachers don’t. Not a substantive discussion in my book. More like dropping juvenile comments. And then I upset you.
Desterado t1_izp0efa wrote
Ah so you can read. Just make your points instead of dragging it out to try and be more of a dick.
My point was that for all the money we spend on police here they end up causing a ton of harm. Perhaps money is wasted on the DOE but they aren’t tearing families apart or beating people or killing them.
drpvn t1_izp0se0 wrote
Policing by definition is going to involve what you would call “harm.” It involves forcing people to do things they don’t want to do, including a lot of violent people. It involves guns and knives. This explains why NYPD shoots more people than teachers do. I can’t believe I actually needed to point that distinction out.
Desterado t1_izp0zky wrote
If you’re not a cop you should sign up. You’ll fit right in.
drpvn t1_izp133p wrote
Is that part of the actual discussion that you value so highly?
Desterado t1_izp1dq6 wrote
As I said before, it was over when you tried to say I enjoyed people being killed. This is just me being an asshole in kind.
drpvn t1_izp1l6k wrote
There’s zero difference between you now and back when you badly wanted an actual discussion. Apart from such brilliant observations as “police kill people and teachers don’t,” you have nothing to say.
Desterado t1_izp1ogf wrote
You have the deductive skills of a cop too. You’ll totally fit in.
drpvn t1_izp1sa7 wrote
Maybe I’m wrong. I’m sure if I browse your comment history I’ll see a bunch of examples of you making interesting and nuanced points.
Desterado t1_izp1vo1 wrote
I know I won’t find anything substantive in your comments.
drpvn t1_izp27yq wrote
Lol, you’re one of the people who thinks it’s evidence-based to say that policing is incapable of reducing crime. Seriously, you have nothing to say except zingers about how you hate cops.
https://reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/zh01ix/_/izl2m2h/?context=1
Desterado t1_izp2ftg wrote
Police aren’t the solution to crime. It’s pretty stupid to think that.
[deleted] t1_izotym2 wrote
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IsayNigel t1_izp0qon wrote
Hey remember when a mass shooter tried to turn himself in and the NYPD “couldn’t find him” when he told them where he was? Way to go NYPD!
sagenumen t1_izou2xn wrote
Ok? So your proposal is to take money from schools to give to libraries, when the police have a ridiculously bloated budget and stomp their feet when we ask for accountability? Lol. Bootlickers are something else.
Neckwrecker t1_izp2w6a wrote
Cry about it
drpvn t1_izp3294 wrote
Nah, there’s no point. It just grows year after year. Once in a while there’s a tiny cut and people act like it’s a war crime, and then the bloat resumes its skyward trend.
paloaltothrowaway t1_izoo0cx wrote
We spent $28k per students with piss poor outcome. That a private school tuition in many places.
drpvn t1_izop8sr wrote
Closer to $38k per student actually.
paloaltothrowaway t1_izpdjdq wrote
Thanks for correcting my number. And funny how statistical facts can get downvoted here
drpvn t1_izpechw wrote
Some butthurt people in this thread.
IsayNigel t1_izp10fo wrote
Education is expensive.
paloaltothrowaway t1_izpddr7 wrote
Other states spend a lot less with better outcome. The solution isn’t that throw more money into a failing machine.
IsayNigel t1_izpu3dz wrote
Not really, and it’s not a “failing” machine. But you can go ahead and explain how cutting the budget to an already strapped institution is actually a good thing.
paloaltothrowaway t1_izpyfh5 wrote
Lol of course you work for the city
IsayNigel t1_izpzob2 wrote
Lol okay I don’t know what position you think you’re in to talk down to anyone Lyft driver. Didn’t answer any of my questions though.
paloaltothrowaway t1_izr0ipq wrote
Why do you think I’m a Lyft driver? Because I’m not. It’s easy to find out just by reading my other post right next to it.
As a whole country, our PISA score sucks compared to other OECD countries despite spending multiple times more. And NYC DOE per head budget is almost double the national average while performing in line with the average
IsayNigel t1_izr7raa wrote
The DOE also deals with incredibly unique issues like space and literal tones of thousands of homeless children but go off.
muderphudder t1_izoi3h7 wrote
I am frequently critical of city spending patterns but making cuts to the libraries to balance the books is just comical. Penny wise and pound foolish.
Sang_dirty_old_town t1_izpvwtx wrote
Former city councilmembers and commissioners are making millions from city contracts as non-profit execs with minimal oversight. But the city can't afford libraries...
lucycomestogether t1_iznufr5 wrote
You can email the city council with feedback on these proposals fwiw.
emersonlaz t1_iznw4zs wrote
Lol they won’t do anything..At best they will do something if it fits CC agenda.
INFJ_in_NYC t1_izo06s9 wrote
So why do people vote for them??
Mr_Rippe t1_izokc7h wrote
That's a great fucking question
supermechace t1_izytarh wrote
I'm always curious where the votes come from but suspect the party affiliated groups have a solid voting base and unfortunately voter turn out is low. The amount of rational people who actually vote aren't enough to outweigh the party backed candidate supporters and anyone they win over through pork barrel promises.
EnochWalks t1_izp8oon wrote
I understand the frustration. I’ve been commenting on stuff for decades, but I would never discourage civic participation. Every once and a while it works, and it’s hard to predict ahead of time when that will be. I’m going to leave a comment
DadBodofanAmerican t1_iznwyld wrote
Librarians don't have a big enough union for the city council to really care or do anything.
doughie t1_izopgau wrote
Absolutely sickening while the police budget balloons every year with no oversight or accountability.
PointOfTheJoke t1_izopw2t wrote
For fucks sake this is where they try to cut the budget?
Free_Joty t1_izo3mpw wrote
All my friends are dead
seancurry1 t1_izou6nm wrote
Ok but how much good do public libraries do when compared to cops scrolling Tinder on the subway
OllieTabooga t1_izozzob wrote
Cutting parks and rec next, then community college, then Medicare, then social security. But cops need a raise.
kj001313 t1_izpgjzs wrote
Eric Adams is pure garbage
Sufficient-Aspect77 t1_izp1ahz wrote
Nooooooooooooooooo....
It's like whenever you start to think, well this place is kinda starting to suck but at least we have the (Enter next thing to loose funding). Damn man
Evening_Presence_927 t1_izpw6gb wrote
Remember, we voted for this.
MrKleen10 t1_izqm8s2 wrote
The city wastes so much money it’s unbelievable. DOE, NYPD, MTA, etc. disasters. Look at the city pay site and check out the salaries for some jobs. $250k jobs to people’s friends. So much corruption
stopes t1_izomh22 wrote
I wrote my council person and you should too!
ideological_fatling t1_izpbcd4 wrote
Reminder that the House of Representatives passed a $858,000,000,000 """defense""" bill for 2023 this week. What are our priorities??
Emu_Man t1_izwz80p wrote
Can't speak for the entire system, but at someone who uses the Stavros Niarchos library quite often, there are more than a few employees that I've never seen do anything other than stand idly around and chat to each other.
semxlr5 t1_izor2l3 wrote
How can we help
vlaine34 t1_izq31by wrote
Investinlibraries.org/ has a sticky note wall where people can post how the library has helped them. I don't know how much this is being seen by the city government right now, but I know it's been used in previous funding efforts (e.g. on NYPL's front page). There's also testimony that was used in budget hearings in May 2022.
Also, just spread the word! Check out books from your local branches, register/RSVP for events and classes, take advantage of as many services you can from NYPL, BPL and QPL. Stats should (in a perfect world) count for something in these decisions.
ChornWork2 t1_izous5k wrote
Are their stats that track how the public uses the library system? Curious what the KPIs they would look at, and what the trends are.
[deleted] t1_izolwfo wrote
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Main_Photo1086 t1_izq9muy wrote
There shouldn’t be cuts to libraries because the cuts that hit almost always hit the places that residents care about the most, like branch hours, programs, and services. The libraries are very top-heavy though. And the three systems really need to merge so there aren’t three $$$$ presidents and three of the same $$$$ admin departments. It’s also really confusing for library users that we have three separate systems.
tearsana t1_izr9tyn wrote
they serve 3 different geographic areas though.
Main_Photo1086 t1_izu4qzz wrote
So does basically every city agency.
GettingPhysicl t1_izwm3y6 wrote
bk and queens are like..the same chunk of land. i couldnt tell you where the dividing line even is. if bronx manhatten SI can manage a system crossing water twice, you can figure out how to make QPL and BPL a single thing.
GettingPhysicl t1_izwm27a wrote
bk and queens are like..the same chunk of land. i couldnt tell you where the dividing line even is. if bronx manhatten SI can manage a system crossing water twice, you can figure out how to make QPL and BPL a single thing.
Sun_Devilish t1_izp0a0b wrote
The more the politicians make noise about leftist virtue signalling, the more you can be sure that the actual things governments are supposed to be doing are being neglected.
elizabeth-cooper t1_izq3hct wrote
The NYPL has a fuck ton of money. They need to stop crying poverty those fucking grifters.
NYPL revenue/expenses: $448 million/$328 million
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131887440
BPL revenue/expenses: $168 million/$145 million
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/111904261
QPL revenue/expenses: $149 million/$147 million
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/111904262
AlTheGreat1 t1_izshy4p wrote
I don’t know why this is getting voted down but it’s the truth .
elizabeth-cooper t1_izt3180 wrote
Because people don't want to know the truth. QPL is the only one that might be hurting for money, but they're also run by a bunch of grifters.
BPL is the only one I haven't heard anything bad about.
Dingleberrylarry99 t1_izp4qv7 wrote
That city is a trash pile
Scary-Media6190 t1_izprfxd wrote
They libraries have been crying for many years they have no money. Their manager make well over 187,000 a year with lower administration make just under that. With minimal work to do.
AlTheGreat1 t1_izuia7t wrote
Again don’t know why these kind of statements are being voted down ? I work for NYPL and see this every year. Never knew Reddit had so many Tony MarKKK’s boot lickers on here.
Chaconess t1_izoaxu7 wrote
I had a friend who had a dream of becoming a librarian and work at the famous nyc public library in Manhattan. I told her, it’s not quite the wise decision in terms of being financially secure. At the start maybe. But she went and did it anyway.
I guess I was right…
Nouseforaname4 t1_izo460f wrote
they definitely shouldn't have done away with the fines... besides the little bit of money it messes up if you need a book thats out people are just going to take longer to return them if theres no penalty
FreightProgram t1_izo76oo wrote
This is a crock of shit. Statistics overwhelmingly show that removing fines results in more books being returned.
Chicago saw 240% increase in return rate only 3 weeks after removing the fines. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/30/781374759/we-wanted-our-patrons-back-public-libraries-scrap-late-fines-to-alleviate-inequi
NYC saw almost 100k more overdue books and other items returned in a single year. Some overdue by decades. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/nyregion/nyc-library-fines-books-returned.html
Removing fines also increased traffic to the libraries and greatly benefited low income families
Rottimer t1_izo85yr wrote
A lot of people can't wrap their heads around the idea that sometimes punishment and penalties aren't the answer. I find it truly ironic that some of the people that are most ardent about punishment, from late fees to capital punishment, are devout Christians. I never heard of Jesus saying - hey, you go to Hell for a bit to pay for all of your sins before getting into Heaven. Yet, you'd think that with the way punishment is held up as the main corrective for any problem with the human condition among many Christians in the U.S..
Stephreads t1_izo6xwi wrote
But when there is a penalty, they just don’t return it at all.
“The Library Ends Late Fees, and the Treasures Roll In The decision in New York City set off a wave of returns, accompanied by bashful notes of apology and gratitude.”
suitcase88 t1_iznrowg wrote
Some of the librarians are so sexy.
ardvarkforce t1_izonngr wrote
jfc. go jerk off in a sock before posting bro 😭. Find god
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izo2e1v wrote
I wish libraries would modernize.
Double down on ebooks, reduce real estate footprint to being hole in the walls or even kiosks with overnight delivery of what you ordered.
Reality is there’s no reason you can’t warehouse their inventory and deliver to locations as needed on a much more serious scale than the hold system of the early 1900’s.
It’s time to modernize. Less branches but more locations. Some empty storefronts would be more than large enough for a modern library.
But pretending it’s 1906 in 2022 is the main reason libraries in the US are floundering.
In much of the world many libraries are in a corner of the grocery store, malls, transit hubs etc. order what you want and pick it up later in the day or next day. Then return there. Their footprint is just a few feet. More convenient and much lower cost. It also allows them to be everywhere. You can be much more accessible this way being in every neighborhood.
This is what much of the world does with great success. The US is the one with failing libraries.
Remarkable_Landscape t1_izo3tn8 wrote
The library provides many, many more resources than books for people. Physical locations (which are owned by the city) are central to how most people use the library. They keep track of usage, even during the pandemic ebooks only made a fraction of the loans they normally make.
More importantly the library 's social value is who they serve, which includes a lot of people who need IRL support. Seniors, children, people who live in poverty and need access to technology all need branches, that's why they're opening new ones. They also have tech and spaces for at home workers too, at the new branches, so white collar workers benefit as well.
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izo470e wrote
That’s stuff that needs to be fixed by having proper resources. Not dumping it on libraries which are I’ll prepared or capable of dealing with these problems.
Spending money inefficiently isn’t fixing the problem.
This is no different than using the subway system as a way to avoid needing more shelters for the homeless. That’s not what the E train is for.
Fixing problems requires fixing the actual problems and providing proper support solutions. Not using libraries as a catch all.
Remarkable_Landscape t1_izo4qv6 wrote
...the current system is "people need to borrow stuff for free and use free tech sometimes because they don't own any" and they go to a neighborhood location and do that. How do you propose they do that more efficiently?
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izo5593 wrote
You don’t need 30k feet of floor space with stacks of books in a 1-3 story building that takes up 1/4 a city block for that.
Asia has shown us how little you need for an Internet cafe. A restaurant’s footprint can serve 3-4x that many people.
My point is much of the world has already done this. The US is pretty alone with not modernizing how libraries operate.
It’s not surprising it works elsewhere and the US is alone with struggling libraries.
The US is obsessed with tradition, and this is a perfect example. Libraries aren’t working, the rest of the world figured this out years ago. We pretend we have no idea what’s going on and do nothing.
Stephreads t1_izo6no7 wrote
You’ve not been to many branches, have you?
MarbleFox_ t1_izo9t45 wrote
> Asia has shown us how little you need for an Internet cafe.
Okay, but we’re not talking about Internet cafes, we’re talking about libraries. You know libraries throughout Asia look and function pretty similarly to libraries in America, right?
Rolling-fatties t1_izoeacr wrote
Username on point, you’re brain broken dude. Go to the library literally one time before posting about how they need to “modernize”
lindsfeinfriend t1_izoq63g wrote
What are you even talking about? There’s a few historic public libraries and the rest are small community branches. If you need to borrow a book chances are you’ll be going to a neighborhood library and not 42nd street. Local libraries offer programs for adult literacy, basic computer skills, budgeting, job search support, career coaching, college application assistance…and those are just the adult programs. Libraries are a community space.
[deleted] t1_izpbjsd wrote
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FormerKarmaKing t1_izo3pxi wrote
Libraries are community centers, not just distributors. Need to study somewhere quieter than home? Library. Don’t have a decent computer and need to apply bc of a job or deal with government websites? Library.
Personally, I read e-books and don’t go to the library because I have all of those amenities at home. But I’m glad the library is there for the people that don’t.
Also, NYC libraries do provide lots of eBooks and audio books for free via the great Libby app.
shhhhquiet t1_izobm5x wrote
Man you have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about. “Time to modernize!!!” By becoming a bare bones book request delivery system and letting everything else we do fall by the wayside. Do you use libraries? Or are you just assuming you know more about them than the people who run them?
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izoj3xp wrote
This is a common model in much of the world.
NYC libraries struggle because that’s how the city likes it. That’s not opinion. That’s fact.
LoneStarTallBoi t1_izolpqo wrote
Lmao no its not. It's a feature of the model but it's not the entire model. All of those library systems that have pick up/drop off services also invest heavily in their main campus and branches.
You're just parroting shit you heard in a TedX talk from a some asshole who wants to turn libraries into a business.
shhhhquiet t1_izp1enn wrote
What you're saying is definitely not a fact. Mall kiosks are a thing (and the US has them too, sorry to bust that narrative.* But that's not the same thing as it being 'a common model in much of the world.' They're useful in areas that can't support a full library. In cities, they're mostly pointless, because the population is dense enough to have an actual library. They'd be an extra here, not a replacement for a full service library.
I'll ask you again: do you use libraries? Because picking up requests is not even in the top five things people visit my library for.
Rakonas t1_izo5hpk wrote
Ebooks are extremely expensive to have for loan
turnupthesun211 t1_izoh0bi wrote
>Double down on ebooks
Everyone else has brought up incredible points in their replies to you, but I need to specifically point out that you (and many others) have no idea how much eBooks cost for libraries. Not only is the cost often at least double what it is for the consumer, the licenses for these eBooks disappear after x-amount of time or x-number of checkouts and the libraries have to purchase them again and again.
If more people understood that this is how publishers and distributors operate, they wouldn't be blaming libraries for not being "modern" enough. We don't have the money for it!
ETA: Regarding the common internet cafe argument I often see people make, internet cafes frequently cost money either to use the internet service itself OR with the assumption that someone has their own device that can make use of free internet. The point of a library having computers and internet is that it is free for the community to use, whether they have their own device and/or money to pay for internet service or not.
ETA again, I wrote "comment internet cafe" instead of "common internet cafe" and hate myself for that typo so I fixed it.
saxifragious t1_izo3pxl wrote
Most nypl books are already warehoused in nj
glemnar t1_izodzdu wrote
People in poverty use the library for internet access. It’s a vital public service
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izoeioj wrote
You don't need stacks of books to provide internet access.
You can use multiple smaller retail locations for that. More accessible and less under utilized square footage.
Again for the back row: Many countries have solved this problem. It's only the US that has struggling libraries because they refuse to modernize. This is a self inflicted problem.
txdline t1_izok1y2 wrote
Libraries aren't just that. There's an intangibles to something's that raise a community.
But if you want to just focus on the space it occupies, I've been to two libraries outside the states and they were all big and beautiful. Stacks of books.
Here's a top list too which I guess would have you say it's a waste. https://www.thebestcolleges.org/amazing-libraries/
But maybe you could share some sources to how other countries are managing library systems? And how that has improved libraries for the people. Rather than us just take your word on it.
lindsfeinfriend t1_izoqyq1 wrote
Those libraries are incredible.
CooperHoya t1_izo9jia wrote
I remember having an app when I was in California where I could check out ebooks with my library card. Don’t we have something similar in NY? I haven’t gotten a card as I moved back right before Covid and had too many life events to have the time. Q1 2023 it will happen.
pixel_of_moral_decay t1_izoc1pi wrote
It's pretty limited in many states. Few books, cumbersome. Pretty archaic.California's libraries are way ahead in terms of US libraries.
Most of the world even physical books you can order via kiosk or app, and pickup at one of many locations like supermarkets, post offices, etc where libraries have sometimes just a locker, or a small kiosk or storefront. Return at any one of them too. Smaller locations will have a few computers for research etc.
vs. the archaic buildings full of dusty books and people having to wait a few days for a book they want or travel to the right library to get it which is how NY still operates.
King-of-New-York OP t1_izoigus wrote
A not often talked about aspect of having books ordered is a loss of serendipity. Finding a book by chance, whether in a library or bookstore, on subject matter or genre that you previously had no knowledge or interest in is one of the most fun ways to expand your imagination or world view.
turnupthesun211 t1_izohbdb wrote
>Most of the world even physical books you can order via kiosk or app, and pickup at one of many locations like supermarkets, post offices, etc where libraries have sometimes just a locker, or a small kiosk or storefront.
A lot of the places that utilize this method do not have a large number of accessible branches for patrons to use AKA the opposite of 3 systems in NYC.
JustMeRC t1_izpz1nn wrote
Dusty books, lol. You know librarians regularly remove books that don’t circulate from their collections, right? Shelf space is valuable. Do you think libraries just keep accumulating books and never get rid of any?
tearsana t1_izraicm wrote
you can order books you want through the library system, it just takes a while given yhe number of people and the limited copies a library has.
the library also offers a lot of community service. they offer job skills training for adults, translation services, government aid help workshops etc. I frequently use mine for 3d printing.
a lot of the city are immigrants and the library provides many essential service for these families.
King-of-New-York OP t1_izne7et wrote
“Library leaders argue that their institutions provide vital services – free books, Wi-Fi, computer access, online content and educational programs, among others – in 200 neighborhoods across the city, including in underserved communities. Councilmember Chi Ossé — chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations — agreed.
“We truly believe [the cuts are] going to affect one of the only public spaces in New York City,” he said during the hearing.”
——— This 100%.