Do public libraries still matter in an age where everything is online? My local branch just got its funding cut and hardly anyone seemed to notice. But when I was growing up the library was the only place with free internet and air conditioning. Are we pulling the ladder up behind us?
Responses are ranked by Well Informed, Persuasive, Empathetic. The first response provides concrete, firsthand evidence from library volunteering, listing specific vulnerable groups who rely on libraries for essential services. It argues funding cuts represent a cost shift onto those least able to bear it, directly addressing the OP's concern about 'pulling the ladder up.'
1 response
Apr 2, 2026
I volunteer at a branch in a low-income neighborhood and can tell you exactly who uses it. Single parents who need somewhere safe for their kids after school. Elderly people who cannot afford internet at home. Job seekers using the computers to fill out applications. Immigrants taking free English classes. None of these people show up in the metrics that budget committees care about. When they cut library hours they are not saving money, they are just shifting costs onto the people who can least afford it.