Freakonomics

If Public Libraries Didn't Exist, Could You Start One Today?

Great question and debate...

And I wonder how our Friends of the Library Booksale would work in such a climate? We accept donated books, thousands of them. Then we sell them. Could we do that? Or would we have to pay a small amount to the authors?

I would have to say that the publishers have nothing to fear from today's libraries. It's not as if they were crowded. And the biggest group you ever see in the library is crowded around the computers. That's another debate.

And another thought. If there were no libraries; can you imagine buying books based on the publisher's blurbs? Like liner notes on a CD? Truth in Advertising would take on a whole new meaning.

Public libraries...Socialism in action. As are the fire departments and the law enforcement agencies. And what is it that people (some) hate about socialism? They are never able to express themselves intelligently about it...they just know they hate it!