See http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071004/ap_on_re_us/outsourcing_libraries To be honest, I've always seen public libraries' archives as pure crap. all the books are outdated, and they never carry intelligent books, just bone-head oriented stuff, mostly "humanities" books that are turning yellow. and what's up with all the 40 year old encyclopedia's? we now have wikipedia. I think if we are going to keep public libraries, it should be web-based only, with all books converted to electronic formatt that can be downloaded for free. and there can't be any censorship: all books in existence must be allowed.
It depends on the library you go to, and how much funding it has. Some public libraries have world-class book and document collections - some are crap that don't get the support they need operate and be what they can be. By the way, "encyclopedias", not "encyclopedia's".
EDIT: dont these crappy books detract from the good ones? you could say 'i spent 10 years reading crap, 10nyears reading these meaningless words...AND FOR WHAT?'
The basement of the New York Public Library branch in midtown Manhattan has one of the best US historical document collections in the world, not to mention a book collection that would make any collector jealous.
And that's what they do. If they don't sell, they take them out of print. All those... (what was it you said before your edit? 60% of books?) People buy them because they like them. "Everyone" does decide.
Oh, really? Downloaded for free, eh? So just WHO the heck do you think is going to go to all the trouble to write a book of any kind just to give it away for free?!?!?!? Get a grip, kid and wake up to the real world!
Well for starters pretty much any academic out there, since they're writing to get published and not because they expect big royalties. A number of publishers have also tried and had success with posting their books online (see http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/ ). Maybe you should wake up and enter the 21st century.
BTW, I don't agree with the rest of Panjabster's post. For the same reason I don't see a problem with posting books online: Most people who want to really read a book (rather than sample it or use it for research purposes) still want to have a physical book in their possession and will still use libraries. As for the previous post, you might just as well ask who's going to buy a book if they can get a copy for free at the library.
I should hope that you're smart enough to realize that's NOT the kind of books I'm talking about.:bugeye:
That latter statement is irrelevant - you don't get a "copy for free" - you just get to borrow it for a little while. Oh - and the libraries BUY their copy!
Sorry but how many people buy a book and read it multiple times? And, of course, if you want to read it again you can always borrow it again. Yes the llibraries buy one copy that gets read by many people, but books posted online (as some publishers have already discovered) it creates interest for people to go and buy multiple copies. This concept is referred to in some circles as advertising. It's why publishers allow their books to be posted on Amazon (for searching) and Google, etc.
If you mean "smart enough" to read your mind, then no. What books are you talking about, ones with lots of pictures?
If all libraries are web-based...what about all the people who don't own computers? Believe it or not...some people don't. And where would all the homeless people hang out during the day? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ps. Medford, Oregon is hardly a "redneck" town. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
And what site is that? And even if there is one, as you've said yourself, once someone has read the books, why would they go out and buy multiple copies of it??? Please explain that to me. I'm an avid reader, yet I've never found any publisher that posts novels online. Please give me a couple of sites, as I'd be highly interested. I know that Stephen Spielberg posted a few/or one novel online, but people were supposed to pay for reading it ....which they didn't, so he discontinued the practice. Why would anyone work, and write, and not get paid for it? Work to write a novel, sometimes up to a year, then just give it away? Baron Max
