Re: OT: Public libraries

On 22/04/2025 01:23, Don Y wrote:

We've been discussing the long-term relevance of public
libraries and the funding thereof.  It seems like this is
something that will likely be fading from municipal budgets,
largely from disuse and ease of other entities picking up
any such use that is shed in their absence.

Closing a public library tends to go down badly with the community. The authorities have however hit upon the money saving scheme of making all their librarians redundant and replacing them with unpaid volunteers.
(under threat of closure in no-one does volunteer)
Book check-in out is now all self service robotic and no one remaining still has any true librarian research skills. Magnetic tags in the spine of the books and NFC loops at the doors do the rest.
Last time I got something difficult on loan from the national collection was just before lockdown. It came in on the day that they were told to lock up. Chief librarian gave me a call to say if you want it you have to come now and collect immediately - we won't be opening our doors tomorrow. Lockdown also meant I obtained electronic access and enough expertise to track down all but the most exotic reference sources.
It was a 3 week loan that lasted 6 months. The complex returns paperwork was ignored when they reopened. It was throw it in this big box with everything else and we will look at it in about a week when any Covid viruses have time expired.

E.g., I visit the local (branch) library, regularly -- but,
mainly to rent DVDs.  Nothing on their shelves is really pertinent
to my areas of research -- though they have often been called
upon to acquire a copy of a technical article or reference
from some other library (in some other state).  From the reaction
I get when I make these requests, I suspect I am, by far, the
exception, in this usage.

It is unusual requests for rare books that cause most trouble for the willing unpaid volunteers. No longer affects me I do my own.

 The other main use I see is for "public computers".  I suspect
that for people who can't afford an internet connection (or
one of sufficient bandwidth for their needs?)  A sort of "PUBLIC
Internet Cafe".

That is quite well used in mine as are the 3D printers mainly for schools use (we repair them from time to time, likewise their computers). It hosts a "Repair Cafe" every other month shared with another venue we can fix (or condemn) most things. I do computers and mobile phones we have wood workers, and several automation specialists.
Most amusing recent ones were a huge parasol 20' across, a full size artist's dummy and next month we are promised a skeleton to mend.

Finally, "babysitting services", of a sort.  "Storytimes" for
young children.  "Lego club" for kids and young adults.  Etc.
 I rarely see someone browsing the stacks.  Any print material
that I see taken out is often from "reservations" placed on those
materials, via their online portal.  I.e., this could just
as easily be done with any other web-based provider (contracted
by the city to ACT as a library?).

There are plenty of people in and out. Just no paid employees any more.

[Note this is increasingly happening with video content as
physical media are being replaced with streaming services.]
 Ebooks don't seem to have as broad an acceptance; likely because the
licensing model is stupid:  how can you have *one* copy of an ebook?
The author/publisher should, instead, charge PER USE.  200 patrons
waiting for one copy of an ebook -- at 4 week renewal times -- is
likely not going to result in more "sales".  Instead, 200 patrons
ALL having access to 200 copies of the book WHILE IT IS IN DEMAND
seems like a better business model (are you going to wait a YEAR
to read an ebook?)

eBooks here and eJournals took off spectacularly during lockdown. Print magazines never recovered our public library used to have a decent range - now they are online only. Same for streaming over internet vs DVDs.

 So, my questions, for those of you who frequent your public
library, what trends do you see and where do you see the
resource "evolving"?  Bulldozed to make room for more parking
for the other nearby businesses??

Being run by well meaning retired volunteers who are basically there to open up and lock up again but have little or no training in library research work. Company where my wife used to work did away with their research librarians (skilled researchers with domain knowledge and decades of experience winnowing wheat from chaff). That was a big mistake for them. Paid for research archives charge for each document downloaded and the scientists grabbed everything their improperly formatted searches threw up. Fees for that exceeded librarians salaries!
(to say nothing of their time wasted fighting the various specialised search engines which have the most arcane cryptic syntax I have ever seen)
--
Martin Brown