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BassoeG t1_j5lho36 wrote

I’m a librarian so theoretically I’ll be fine until physical robots increase in efficiency and drop in price, but in practice, I’ll be screwed by the side effects of civilizational collapse from mass unemployment long before that. No taxbase means no libraries means no salary for me.

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notthebestchristian t1_j5mvvxh wrote

AI will be able to read every single book ever made for you and provide you with a new and novel book club with AI views and opinions.

Libraries are already an extremely expensive legacy product. The government could take the money collectively spent on libraries (13.37 billion annually), and provide every American with free high speed internet.

Your industry is on borrowed time.

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sideways t1_j5n91xk wrote

Free high speed internet is, in no way shape or form, a replacement for libraries.

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notthebestchristian t1_j5o7i9q wrote

I guess I don’t understand at all. Is it because of book licensing? We can still provide the same service electronically with digital books, which don’t deforest. Just heating and cooling libraries is a massive and unnecessary economic and environmental cost.

Plus the physical space could be converted to house every single homeless person in the US so they can masturbate at home instead of needing to go to the library. I see nothing but wins here.

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Sad_Break_87 t1_j5p4u2x wrote

Libraries are public spaces; As well as storing books/information they serve a very useful function as a community hub for social events and act as a non-commoditised Third Place away from either work or home - important for mental health and social cohesion.

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notthebestchristian t1_j5p6hep wrote

In the hierarchy of needs you’re talking about a vanity project, not a necessity, and one that is primarily utilized by a sliver of the population.

Only 7% report going to the library weekly, 1/6 of the population never goes.

If there is a market for a “third place”, the private sector will step in (see: Starbucks). If there is demand for libraries or internet cafes the private sector will step in. There is no reason for the public to fund this particular legacy institution.

13 billion dollars per year spent on public libraries. To put that in perspective, the amount we spend on libraries is equal to the 77th largest world economy by GDP (out of 163 total).

Like I said, that funding could be put to actual good use, like housing the homeless.

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