Libraries are obsolete and nothing can change that. The ones that turn into community centers built on internet research may have a chance, but they'll lose public funding without forward thinking change.

Local libraries are having to reinvent themselves though. 98% of anything ever published is available on the Internet. I seldom carry books around anymore, other than in digital format. Movies and music are streamed these days. So the things I used to go to my library for -- to do research, to borrow music and films -- is highly diluted. I haven't been to one personally in 6 years, and that was just out of curiosity when I moved to my current location, to see if it offered me any resources I wasn't aware of. It didn't. It seems to have become more of a community meeting place than anything.

In our town there are these little boxes set on posts in some people's front yards, where passers-by can borrow any book in there that they are interested in, and leave books for others to borrow. But I can't see the point of that, either. Super-limited selection, JWs and Mormons tend to stuff them with religious literature, etc. There are a couple near the local middle school so maybe kids rifle through them sometimes, assuming they aren't rushing home to their video games.

I guess there's still a small niche for libraries in that anything that's not public domain is apt to cost a bit of $$ on the Internet (books for your e-reader, etc) and particularly if libraries can figure out how to loan e-books this would democratize reading for all. Last time I looked a few large libraries do this, but it was cumbersome to sign up and use the service.

Love the library! Funny story I heard once from Glenn Beck the radio hack. He was railing against college and all the costs and how all the community and state colleges are all portions of socialism. He was so proud he is self educated, no college for him, he read everything he could find at his public library! true story, another alt right loser hates socialism even when it benefits himself because he's too stupid to even realize what comes out of his mouth.

Yes, they were a terrific idea.