This is why we can't have enough libraries

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This didn’t make me smile, it sort of made me sad.

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u/Legalkangaroo 24d ago

Sadder still when you realise that for many of the people there it is the only way they can use the internet, stay warm in winter and cool in summer. So thank goodness for the fabulous institutions that are libraries.

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u/RenegonParagade 24d ago

I work in a library, and we have multiple patrons without houses: it is also often the only place they can access bathrooms, charge phones/other electronics (one patron charges her lantern usually), and sometimes it can be the only place where people know their name and ask about their day/if they are doing okay. When we had to close for the pandemic, one of our biggest concerns was cutting off our patrons who required our services to meet their basic needs. I know some of the librarians were working directly with patrons they knew were vulnerable in order to figure out a way to meet those needs while the library couldn't

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u/drunkwasabeherder 24d ago

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3294746/?ref_=nm_knf_i3

Emilio Estevez go this to the screen after quite a few years. Covers most of what you mentioned. Quite a good film as well.

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u/dscottboggs 24d ago

We could do more than that. /r/librarysocialism

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u/houdinidash 24d ago

I know this is an unpopular take but the library shouldn't be a place to stay for homeless people. Other places should (but don't) provide that.

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u/TrueRequiem 23d ago

Libraries aren't providing places to stay for homeless people. They are public places where anyone can go during the day. Anyone includes homeless people. Libraries are not providing beds, showers, or anything like that. Homeless people are simply using the library's services like everyone else.

Thinking the way you are is discriminatory. Some people just don't like seeing or having homeless people around like if they were a nuisance. But they are human beings just like us and have every right to use public services and be in public places like libraries.

There are even people who prefer to spend all day at a library, reading books, surfing the internet, drawing, or doing homework, or working rather than get into trouble on the street or being at home with abusive parents or spouse. You going to say they don't belong in a library either?

As long as the library is being used and rules being followed, regardless of the reason for going there in the first place, there is no reason to say a certain person or group of people shouldn't be using it.

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u/ChubblesMcgee103 24d ago

I feel like it's a 50/50 chance here. They all have good intentions, but half the time they just point out something sad about my life I briefly forgot about.

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u/LastOfTheCamSoreys 24d ago edited 24d ago

The “sad” thing here is a weird false notion that public parks, museums, colleges, and other “free” spaces don’t exist

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u/use_rname 24d ago

They do but sometimes it’s not ideal or safe to be outside in some public park in 90°+ weather or in the middle of a storm. A library is the only building I can think of where you won’t be considered loitering without buying anything.

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u/LastOfTheCamSoreys 24d ago

Moving the goal posts a bit there but malls come to mind immediately. I walk around them on cold/rainy days without buying anything. And many museums are free/donation only.

Little confused as to what you have in mind, like what would you want or envision as far as free public indoor spaces?

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u/PrincessSheogorath 24d ago

This is true for cities which have those spaces. However, i have lived in a few different towns in multiple states that dont have a mall or a museum and the library is in the fact the only space you can enter without an expectation of spending any money.

Just listing only where I live now, I do have all those places but there are a few surrounding towns that don't. One being Marysville, CA. Only has a library and it bridges with Linda/Olivehurst that do not.(the homeless population here is also incredibly high mind you) then there is Live Oak, Gridley, Lincoln, Wheatland, Nicholas, Colusa, Williams, Princeton, Downy...just very few local examples in California, and i KNOW there are smaller states with smaller towns with the same problem. It really sucks and we should have more..

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u/use_rname 24d ago

That is also true; the mall is another good place to go without purpose lol. But at least if you need a computer you can’t go to the mall unless you go in the apple store or something and they’ll definitely pester you to buy the MacBook you’re doing a job application on 💀

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u/trashcanaffidavit_ 24d ago

If you spend too long doing nothing at the mall, security will start hassling you.

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u/Electric_NinjaElf 24d ago

When you talk about homeless people and families in particular, the library tends to be a safe haven. It is not only shelter, but a quiet place for kids to do homework. There are plenty of seats, so they don’t have to wander a mall looking at things they can’t buy. Many homeless individuals rely on libraries.

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u/Kylo_loves_grampa 24d ago

Most posts on this sub lately are only wholesome because we live in a dystopia. Most stories would never happen if our society was capable of providing for it's citizens.

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u/Transparent-Paint 24d ago

I cringe every time I see a post on here that says something like “stranger pays for $15k medical procedure for someone else.” Like no, it doesn’t make me smile to think of how a hospital can easily make you go bankrupt.

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u/Lilz007 24d ago

Those videos where a restaurant patron gives a few hundred bucks to their server who is overwhelmed with gratitude and starts crying because a few hundred buck literally means the difference between having somewhere to live and food to eat.

Like, what it does make me smile, moreover it makes me so angry that we live in an unbalanced world such a small amount money means so much to so many people

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u/SuccessfulBroccoli68 24d ago

r/aboringdystopia

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u/Polymersion 24d ago

Seriously, I'm on both subs and a lot of posts here make me think I'm there.

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u/Thumeus 24d ago

Great username btw, I too am a fan of Lord Vader.

Another one that pissed me off is "no public restrooms "

I'm on the road a lot, and I can't stand the fact that there are off-highway establishments with no public restrooms, or "restrooms for customers only" signs

Seriously, what about the 30 customers that paid and didnt need to use the bathroom, y'all give them discounts?! I mark them on my map now and make sure I never go back

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u/DarthKrayt98 24d ago

Unfortunately, there's usually a good reason these places have those rules; it's a decision that's made as a reaction to a consistent problem.

An establishment that has no public restrooms whatsoever likely isn't able to meet ADA requirements. The restroom in question may not even be able to be remodeled to fit those requirements, or it might be too expensive for a small business owner. Even worse, there are some disabled people, usually paid by law firms, who will go to small businesses just for the restroom, purely with the intent of finding every possible minute violation of ADA requirements.

An establishment that has relegated their restrooms to 'customers only' likely deals with drug addicts or some other similar issue, to the point that it was negatively impacting their business.

That may not be the case for all of them, but you never know who came along and ruined it for everyone else.

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u/xX_Big_Dik_Energy_Xx 24d ago

Yea I’m against that completely. Allowing anyone to use your restroom is a liability and someone has to clean it

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u/Caffeine_Cowpies 24d ago

So then shouldn’t we have, idk, public restrooms where people of all types (including the disabled) have a ready to use place to go to a bathroom 24/7/365 and have people hired to go clean the bathroom regularly throughout the day.

Idk, sounds like communism.

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u/xX_Big_Dik_Energy_Xx 24d ago

OP was talking about it while traveling. And no not every small town you can stop at has funding and personal to run a series of public bathrooms

The only places that can really support that are cities. And even LA, one of the furthest left places in the US, had to stop since it is an absolute nightmare to manage. People are just shitty in public bathrooms

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u/Caffeine_Cowpies 24d ago

Or, we create a federal program for it.

Didn’t think about that did ya?

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u/xX_Big_Dik_Energy_Xx 24d ago

Wonderful, but that still does nothing to solve the employment issue nor the drug addict issue

Who exactly is going to work in this economy to clean up drug addicts and shit on a federal paycheck? All of that is just because people mistreat public restrooms. How much would we have to spend in order to keep people hired to take care of that?

I’m just saying, LA tried this all and failed miserably. What makes you think it’ll be executed better on a federal level?

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u/Meanttobepracticing 24d ago

Society could provide for everyone quite easily, but people are easily tricked into going against their best interests. Kind of sad really.

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u/ChuckinTheCarma 24d ago

providing for it’s citizens.

100%. Our society exists to provide for the billionaires.

Evidence: Billionaires. Plural.

Wtf.

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u/darling_lycosidae 24d ago

Centibillionaires. Plural.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/mewtwoyeetsauce3 24d ago

You can only do so much. And advocating for the homeless that our taxes are supposed to help does not mean they're required to run a shelter from their house.

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u/grte 24d ago

37.

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u/Andromeda321 24d ago

Yes, I couldn’t help but think of the public library near me when I lived in Toronto. You couldn’t work or hang out there because most spots were taken by homeless people, some of whom were not mentally well and would cause scenes and have to be escorted out by security regularly. And this was a safe area, mind, just downtown was all.

It was very sad more than anything that all those people had nowhere else to go in the cold, and no way to get the help they needed.

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u/Polymersion 24d ago

Most of the posts I see on this sub are like that.

"Teacher doesn't die of cancer because young schoolchildren banded together and gave up their weekends to labor and get money! Aww!"

"Homeless veteran oppressed by system gets to eat today while we film him. Aww!"

"This is Lara, who managed not to die in her puppy mill. Aww!"

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u/YoungAL123 24d ago

I use to donate a lot of my books when I was kid Hope this makes you happy.

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u/goofymary 24d ago

Your username made me smile tho

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u/Dull_Impression_7666 24d ago

It's like a cave where u can go and be cozy and sleep peacefully.

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u/kenix7 24d ago

Are we allowed to sleep or fall asleep in them ? Haven't heard of this before ... Not in Romania at least ...

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u/thestiine 24d ago

I work at a college library in the US. On our tours we show students the best places to grab a nap.

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u/draconicanimagus 24d ago

At my college, TSU, there's actually a place called.. Boko's Lounge? (Boko is the name of the mascot).

It's technically a "quiet study area" with desks and rules about being quiet.. but it's filled with comfy-ish couches and you can literally rent a pillow by trading in your student ID until you leave.

It's socially recommended not to rent the pillows, even though they say they're cleaned. I've had many a good stress nap inside Boko's before. It's a great place to relax between classes that are too close to go home between.

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u/kenix7 24d ago

Heey , that's wholesome :)

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

I dont think you're supposed to, but in the United States, at least my part of it, in some downtown libraries you have homeless people who come in for a free, cool/warm place to sit. They sometimes nap in the chairs.

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u/Ballsofpoo 24d ago

Grab a book, fall asleep reading. Happens to all of us. But yeah, at some point, someone will ask them to leave.

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u/foxyfierce 24d ago

Librarian here. I’d never ask someone to leave for sleeping. I wake them up (without touching) and kindly remind them, without embarrassing them, that there’s no sleeping in the library. I would only ask them to leave for this if they continue to do it despite my warnings. Maybe the 3rd or 4th time. It’s never actually gotten to that point though.

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u/Solkre 24d ago

Ours has free coffee on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s too.

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u/KitchenWalk224 24d ago

Depends on the library (source: US Library Director). I ask staff to wake them up once if they're unfamiliar with the patron to make sure there isn't a health issue. After that, if they aren't snoring, we leave them alone.

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u/foxyfierce 24d ago

No, please don’t sleep in the library. We don’t care if you’re there open to close but please don’t sleep.

The reason is we don’t know if you’re asleep or unconscious. If we see someone sleeping we have to try to rouse them immediately, just in case it’s not peaceful sleep and is actually a medical emergency.

If you need a place to sleep we have the resources to help you find a shelter, but please don’t try to sleep in the library.

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u/xpinchx 24d ago

But it's so quiet and cozy

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u/deadlyspawn187 24d ago

You mean like a house?

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u/small-package 24d ago

Yes, but still affordable to the average Canadian 👍

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago

Also a great source of tons of resources such as new language learning, job search assistance, maker spaces, computers/wifi, scan/copy/print, digital databases

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

My library has Ancestry.com to look up information on your geneology, as long as you're physically in the library. But COVID made it so that you can get access from home too.

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago

Ours has an actual stand alone genealogy center.

The resource I really get a lot of use from is Mobius. If they don't have a book, I can borrow it from a network of college and university libraries in surrounding states.

The list in my above post isn't even near complete with all the other services they offer.

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

Yeah, our library has one of those state loan things as well! I used to get a lot of use out of that too, but lately, I've switched to digital books. No muss, no fuss, automatic returns. And I actually got accounts with two other state libraries, so I can check for e-books there as well!

Libraries are a tremendous public resource. Like you said, its' hard to even list all of the services modern libraries have.

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago

I've been using Libby now for a couple of months when the ebook format is available.

I can remember my mom taking us to the library when we were kids, and practically living in all my school libraries. The evolution in services and resources at the local library level through all of those years has been amazing.

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

Right! When I was young, my mom would take me to the library and we'd come back with a bag full of books - but I always had to wait to read them because she'd write everything down in a notebook, so we'd know what we had to return and when. She'd write down the one I wanted to read first so I could have it quicker.

In my lifetime we've gone from those little cards you put in the front of the book to keep track of when they're due to where everything is completely computerized, even the books themselves.

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago

Me, too! I have over 50 years of reading and library usage. My mom didn't do all that, tho. LOL

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

It was a must to keep all of those little kids books straight! And even when I got a little older and started reading series books. You get about 3 Cam Jansen or Encyclopedia Brown books and they get hard to keep track of!

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

You can also watch movies and other shows online by using your library card. Ebooks are available to “check out”. Yes, a lot of resources.

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u/yeahiguessman 24d ago

Also some libraries have free car repair manuals

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u/JamesTDG 24d ago edited 23d ago

I actually got a lot of my old school gaming experiences from libraries (I got an overdue copy of Kotor somewhere in my house, lol)

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u/dshoig 24d ago

At my library you can even borrow music instruments

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u/YochloMinj 24d ago

The only reason I don’t do that is because the last 3/4 times I’ve borrowed movies, the disks were so scratched up that they would skip a TON.

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u/oganhc 24d ago

Wait til you learn of pirate bay

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u/HOWDEHPARDNER 24d ago edited 24d ago

Yeah I don't see how this is much different than piracy in terms of impact to the rights holder. Maybe it's ok because the library isn't making money from hosting the media, while piratebay is? (hosting the magnet links anyway). Even so, that isnt enough of a moral reason for me to go all the way to a library to pick up a movie I couldn't find on a streaming service in my region. Instead its just two clicks away on some unoffical site.

Not to say I dont like libraries, but I dont see the point in getting digital media there.

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u/JamesTDG 24d ago

Unfortunately, I gotta pay a cover charge to use the local library (the idiot who proposed that idea should be taken out accordingly)

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u/NYIJY22 24d ago

Jesus that's insane. My county has over 60 libraries in it. The neighboring County has over 40. You can enter anyone of them whenever they're open regardless of whether or not you have a card, and take out material in anyone of them with any card from any individual library in your county.

The card is free, and the vast majority of the libraries in the system font have late fees, though some still do.

They also have tons of stuff to borrow that isn't books or movies, like videogames, tablets, roku sticks, podcast equipment, kids toys museum passes, etc.... plus have services inside like 3D printers, resume help, notary, etc...

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u/ChowderheadMcGee 24d ago

We tried getting rid of late fees in our library a couple years back. That lasted about eight months, we lost a third of our inventory.

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u/NYIJY22 24d ago

Nuts, we actually have has a pretty noticeable increase in returns since we stopped ours years ago.

Turns out even having to pay 10 cents is enough to makea lot of people just decide never to come back again.

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u/Late_Cat4418 24d ago

You jack it up so it's the value of the book over time and send multiple warnings before sending it to collections if they just ignore you. Nobody takes a 10 cent charge seriously but they do once scary letters start arriving.

My local library will totally send you to collections if you ignore them but will waive/reduce the charge if you just tell them the dog ate it. They warn you about it and it's common knowledge and they don't have a problem with books going missing.

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u/2017hayden 24d ago

Same I live across the street from the city limits of the town I live in. Because I’m “not a resident” of the town I would have to pay a membership fee to enter the library. Not to check out a book, but to enter the library.

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u/jazberry715386428 24d ago

You should go in and stand your ground until you get arrested and then someone will have to explain to a judge why you’re not allowed in the library and then maybe they’ll change it. Maybe also I watch too many law dramas.

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u/ivapesyrup 24d ago

They could but that would be kind of dumb since they were already told why and even relayed in in their comment. They are not a member of that city/county that library is located in. The tax dollars the pay for and possibly even built it were not paid by them so they do not get that access for free. That was the reasoning given. If someone needs to get arrested and have a judge repeat it for them to finally listen that is on them I guess?

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u/_orion_1897 24d ago

Maybe also I watch too many law dramas.

Yeah you do. This is a really stupid idea lmfao

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u/occupy_the_couch 24d ago

If you don’t pay taxes that support the library I think a membership fee is appropriate

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u/ndgoLiberty 24d ago

Man fuck that.

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u/Takanar 24d ago

I've never heard of a library charging people to enter. where do you live?

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago edited 24d ago

Many are going to or have already stopped charging late fees. Even when they still did, mine was only .05/day.

Edited grammar.

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u/TheNeonDonkey 24d ago

Yeah my mom said her county stopped charging. I’ll tell you, over the years I’ve probably spent hundreds in late fees.

I stupidly would get 10-15 books (so I had choices in case I didn’t like a few) and if they were a week or two late it would add up to like 10-15 bucks. Don’t even get me started on if you were late with movies. Those were like a dollar a day.

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u/TeoDobrev 24d ago

Haven't given one book back in 7 years, I'm a little worried but I can't bother to go give it back, it's 10 minutes on foot...

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u/randomPerson141 24d ago

But that’s preventing other people from being able to use those resources. Even if you don’t want to pay the fines return the materials so others can use them.

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u/IICVX 24d ago

After seven years they've marked the book as lost and bought a new copy

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u/PermutationMatrix 24d ago

When I was in my teens I found out they had dvd there. I put in a request for a certain DVD and it shipped from another Library in the county to my local library. I was going through with watching all the Star Trek Voyager episodes this way.

One month I was late in returning the DVDs, 3 of them from one season, and they told me I owed them upwards of $700. They changed me the full price of the season times three even though I had 3 discs from the same season. I returned the discs but never went back because I still had $38 in late fees they wouldn't let me borrow until I paid

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

That's why they're trying to get rid of the fees, because it deters people from returning, which is in their best interest.

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u/Lurkay1 24d ago

My library lets you pay off or waive the fees by going in and spending time reading books.

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u/PrivateIsotope 24d ago

My library stopped charging. They say its not an incentive to bring back books, and it really isnt. If you're going to steal material, you're going to steal material. And they'll charge you if you do. If youre going to be late returning something, youll be late. The fee isnt going to deter you from being late. But it might deter you from coming back, and they want you to come back.

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u/Late_Cat4418 24d ago

If the late fee bill shows up in your mailbox and gets sent to collections, it serves as great motivation to return the damn thing. Those 5 cent/day late fees don't work because there are no consequences for just ignoring them.

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u/FideliaEscobedo 24d ago

In my city, they seem to be the only place the homeless and elderly can masturbate in public without anyone seeming to give a shit.

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u/probablemayo 24d ago

What a terrible day to have the ability to read!

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u/Fortknoxvilla 24d ago

Literacy rate drops to 0.

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u/ndgoLiberty 24d ago

I’M BLIND!

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u/4Ever2Thee 24d ago

Unfortunately I had a similar experience at the big library in my city. I had to go there for a work thing and didn't have my laptop so I went to use their computers to do some research. You have to check in with the woman at the front desk to request a computer, then you enter the passcode and your ID# and you get to use the computer for a set amount of time. She took one look at me(dressed up in a suit and tie) and said, "we have a few open but I don't think you want to use our computers"

I thought it was a little odd but just confirmed that I did need to use their computers. So she gives me the code info, I didn't have a library card for that library so she had to give me a guest code. Then I go over to the designated computer and notice that it seems like all homeless people using them, then I'm thinking that must be why she didn't think I'd want to use them which I thought was kind of rude, I don't mind sitting next to homeless people using computers and it's probably one of the only places they can access computers.

So I sit down and start doing some work and slowly start looking around and realizing nearly every one of the guys around me were watching the closest to porn stuff they could get away with and they were playing with themselves under the table. Mostly YouTube and I saw everything from music videos with nearly nude women to an instructional breast exam video.

I accidentally locked eyes with one dude and immediately logged out and said fuck that and went back upstairs. I felt like I needed a shower for the rest of the day.

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u/ChowderheadMcGee 24d ago

This is why they have security guards now.

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u/Silly-Competition417 24d ago

LOL! This is how I know Twitter-OP doesn't actually GO to the library.

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u/Junipero96 24d ago

Libraries have always had a special place in my heart and I never knew why exactly but this might just be the reason.

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u/HaroldCranberry 24d ago

At my library the same homeless man takes a shit on the floor every morning

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u/SweatyYogurtcloset4 24d ago

And every librarian has stories about the negative side of unrestricted entry. People taking a shit on the chairs for example. Watching porn in the toilets. Angrily blaming us for Jeremy Corbyn...all happened in the libraries where I work

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u/ASDirect 24d ago

I have all those same stories from food service. That's just called "being open to the public."

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u/jazberry715386428 24d ago

So much this

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u/Splith 24d ago

Exactly, maybe we should be dealing with mental health, or address the social media companies making us all crazy.

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u/4minute-Tyri 23d ago

address the social media companies making us all crazy

They say while choosing to use reddit. Maybe address your own mental health instead of pushing that burden onto other people.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/left-handshake 24d ago

Didn’t know people in the US were complaining about Jeremy Corbyn.

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u/foxmetropolis 24d ago

still, it's important to have library spaces like this in spite of the unpleasant side of society, although perhaps libraries ought to have more funding to help deal with this stuff. some of it relates to broader issues with homelessness, poverty or mental health, all of which tend to have under-funded public programs (in north america at least). though even in the best scenario, some of it would remain regardless of anything, given human nature.

you could easily make a parallel complaint about frustrations of creepy/unpleasant people using/living in public parks and conservation spaces, though it is likewise still important to have those green spaces inside and outside of cities. we just muddle through trying to deal with issues as they happen :/

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u/Lollipop126 24d ago

Like, I get the message but you know public parks also exist?

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u/cleantushy 24d ago

Reread the post

They're one of the few public spaces

Why do you think they said "few"? Nobody said "they are the only public space". Parks are also one of the few public spaces where you're allowed to exist without the expectation of spending money

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u/ftctkugffquoctngxxh 24d ago

Yea probably would have been better to say indoor public places.

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u/Stagilyspill364 24d ago

Library is a great place

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u/Due_Entertainment_66 24d ago

I just go there to windowshop knowledge.

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u/zeryxmushroom999 24d ago

Parks too!

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u/creative_net_usr 24d ago

What's truly cringe worthy is how they're trying to do this to nature. Go find a tent site in the wilderness. It's getting harder and harder to get away from commercially run campgrounds even backpacking the adks there's precious few BC sites relative to the number of people trying to wander into the countryside now.

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u/Beneti0 24d ago

Whats BC sites?

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u/rnaa49 24d ago

I took it to mean "back country."

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u/Beneti0 24d ago

Yeah makes sense

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/festeringswine 24d ago

There's still plenty of "wilderness" you can go to if you really want it.

Where do you live though? My home state is like 95% agriculture lmao.

Don't blame the park service, blame overpopulation and unchecked immigration to prop up economies

Overpopulation....like we couldn't fit a significant portion if the world into Texas with a higher living density lol. And again where the f do you live where there is unchecked immigration? And where immigrants are the ones buying up huge portions of land, or enacting zoning laws that prevent higher living densities and contributing to urban sprawl?

My town doesn't allow more than 1 "single family unit" aka, no unrelated roommates, on less than 5 acres. So if you want to cut those acres into smaller pieces, have roommates, build more than one house, or build apartments you're SOL. That shit takes up space. It's not that we have too many people, it's that we have too much consumption of resources and land per person. Don't blame immigrants, they have fuck all to do with it. In the US at least

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u/Cookiecuttermaxy 24d ago

Holy wholy shit, this statement is sooo true...

I would have also added(which I expected and thought I was going to read) that libraries are one of the last few remaining public spaces where peace of the mind can still be retained, sometimes I legit just go to the library to escape my mind off rather than just read books or study.

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u/lamenawuer 24d ago

Wait till you discover parks, lakes, fields, outdoor gyms, skateparks, beaches, running trails, outdoor cinemas, etc... It'll blow your mind

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u/mdahms95 24d ago

There’s no ac in ANY of those places

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u/RelativeFox1 24d ago

That’s what makes them great! Although here, it’s that those places don’t have heat.

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u/mdahms95 24d ago

Fair, I would love to go to those places, if I didn’t feel like I was going to melt just existing

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u/Always_Jerking 24d ago

Only place in big cities where it is never crowded.

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u/reachedmylimit 24d ago

Paid for with tax dollars. Just sayin’.

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u/_lAvAl_ 24d ago

And there a bunch that make you buy library cards

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u/JamesTDG 24d ago edited 24d ago

I gotta pay $15 a month for my library card, and I can't even use it because the library is being remodeled

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u/jazberry715386428 24d ago

That’s almost my gym membership. Yikes

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago edited 24d ago

There's not a bunch. They're normally free if you live or even just work within the same city/county. I pay $50/yr. now only because I live outside the county and no longer work there.

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u/jazberry715386428 24d ago

That’s way too much! At that point audible and kindle are cheaper. Way way cheaper.

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u/mallio 24d ago

Yeah there's no way I'd get enough out of it to pay that much ($600/yr?)

Someone below said there's is 45 per year, which would definitely be worth it. Mine is luckily free to me but I know from Nextdoor that unincorporated areas need to pay like $280 for a year, and even that would make me question if I really needed it.

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u/Hiding_behind_you 24d ago

Socialist libraries?!? Nooooo!!!

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u/SynthwaveVinyl 24d ago

I've only ever had to pay for a library card if I don't live in that city. In my metro, if I want to go to another city's library, it's just $45 a year.

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u/Hiding_behind_you 24d ago

Exactly! Local taxes for services intended primarily for the local tax payers. Out-of-town strangers get to pay a special fee.

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u/mcSibiss 24d ago

Wait, tax dollars are used for things other than the military?! Mind blown.

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u/FailedSociopath 24d ago

Not sayin' much, really.

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u/LadyRarity 24d ago edited 24d ago

i'm glad the thought of libraries makes you smile! Here in the USA, our library system is being choked out, mostly by conservative/right wing actors who have an axe to grind. Libraries are protested nowadays for hosting drag queens reading childrens books (and make no mistake, the reason they are protested is because of homophobia and transphobia), and here in Illinois we have a movement to save a suburban library system, which was co-opted by organized conservative libertarians who voted themselves onto the library board to slash the budget and remove services from the community.

The more we slide into this late capitalist nightmare (my words), the more our libraries are under assault. Amazon wants them gone, your local anti-LGBT hate parade wants them gone. Frankly it's a mircale they still exist, and they need our help and protecting if we like having that service.

As a bright side aside: getting a book from the library is also a great way to support an author you love! If people are checking out an authors books, that library will want to buy more copies of those books!

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u/iloveuranus 24d ago

I just learned that Uğur Şahin, one of the inventors of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine and a son of immigrants, developed his interest for science through books from his local library when he was a kid.

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u/closestvenus 24d ago

I can literally walk around my whole town and exist without spending money. “We live in a dystopia cuz I’m so boring that I need to spend money to have fun” most privileged thing I’ve seen today

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u/tardis3134 24d ago

The fact that people think the US is a dystopia shows this comment section is full of teens who probably have never left their hometown

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u/closestvenus 24d ago

Dystopia is when every aspect of my life isn’t perfect

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u/lattelatto 24d ago

I agree with this closestvenus (spellchecker nearly made me enter closestpenis :D)

Even spending minimally is possible, if you just go around and figure budget. I don’t know what locations have limitations (so I can’t judge), but surely many aren’t as dystopian as proclaimed.

I get the temptation of commercial stuff being around us, but holy fuck, 24 hours in the day to figure what to do and what not to do

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u/closestvenus 24d ago

Exactly, sure if you want the absolute best out of live you need to spend money but saying that most of society has a literal pressure to spend money is absurd. OP needs to learn a hobby or make friends

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u/ShredHeadEdd 24d ago

ikr, put on some headphones and go for a walk.

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u/MrBobBuilder 24d ago

There is also parks

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u/cleantushy 24d ago

Hence why they said "one of the few" and not "the only"

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u/LynxBartle 24d ago

why is this in r/mademesmile? this is extremely depressing

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u/plasticlunchbox 24d ago

Freaking love libraries. It was a safe haven for me when I was extremely broke after my divorce. I could take a small sandwich and a bottle of water and sit and read for hours and not one person would bother me.

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u/BaconMirage 24d ago

Libraries are great places

free rest rooms

drinking water

computers with internet access

All the books you can read

and much more

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u/thebunnyofluff 24d ago

It’s sad, because here in India we don’t have public libraries like the ones yall have. At best, they have a single room of books donated, at worst there just isn’t one.

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u/michaelnoir 24d ago

Pure stolen from "Keep The Aspidistra Flying" by George Orwell.

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u/EuisVS 24d ago

I wish all my taxes went to libraries. It was the only place I could go and be safe from this abusive society and stimulate my brain.

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u/LeeLooTheWoofus 24d ago

Unless you have late fees…

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u/not420guilty 24d ago

The bums make the entire building smell like urine

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u/halofunky748 24d ago

with the caveat that ours is almost compeltely full of homeless people. all the time. You can never get a computer to use and you dont want to hang because it honestly smells. There is an awesome shelter in this huge city with room and social services referral etc. But Im uncomfortable going to my library.

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u/BruceSlaughterhouse 24d ago edited 24d ago

Don't worry soon enough libraries will be defunded too, to buy the police more military gear for the next fascist coup on America.

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u/CatCan0n 24d ago

24k upvotes?? Wtf is wrong with you people? Go for a walk today.. to the park, stream, or woodlands.. and bring the ducking book too. Leave your phone at home

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u/orpcexplore 24d ago

The public library is one of my first stops when scoping out a new area to live. It's very indicative of how the community views itself and operates.

Recently went to do this again as I am moving soon and it SEALED the deal for me, amongst other things. It was beautiful, had a large science center for kids to learn, laptops to check out and use, 4 or 5 floors of books and I think you can request books from nearby libraries though I'm not certain, they also have audiobooks and streaming services available through your card, they even had a DEMO kitchen where they have demonstrations on using local produce etc and making meals from it. Of course all the traditional community programs and events and outreach. Along with being able to check out lots of culinary tools and pans etc so you can make a random cake once and not need to buy the pan. I fucking love my public libraries!! ❤

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u/cyclothymic-moods 24d ago

This is nice and all but it shouldn’t make you smile. It should piss you off.

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u/OctoberSunflower17 24d ago edited 24d ago

Unfortunately some small cities and towns have cut budgets for library hours.

So the children in those areas don’t have access to the library after school and on weekends like I did growing up. I credit the library as my second home, where I read 40 books one summer. I had access to all the classics as well as lighter fare.

Ray Bradbury attributed his career success as a writer to his public library.

Limiting access to all of a library’s resources is essentially restricting socioeconomic advancement for those without the wherewithal to purchase their own personal collection of books.

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u/TheBananaBandit05 24d ago

I honestly thought I was in r/WhitePeopleTwitter for a second there.

I’m glad I’m not, because I do really agree with this.

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u/Oh-Oh-Ophelia 24d ago

I lived in a town where they hired library "security" to harass the homeless daily and wake them up if they fell asleep.

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u/Gigadorah 24d ago

this isnt a happy thought, this is fucking sad

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u/Kumquat_conniption 24d ago

How on earth would a reminder of our capitalist hellscape be something that makes you smile? That seems like an odd reaction but it was upvoted so obviously I am the odd one here.

I still don't get why though.

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u/huggles7 24d ago

I mean I can think of several others, parks for one

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u/summermoonchild69 24d ago

Yeah but it’s the best one for when you don’t want to be stuck outside…

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u/tuj77421 24d ago

Starbucks is a store but they also do not require that you buy anything per their new policy: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/05/21/a-new-policy-at-starbucks-people-can-sit-without-buying-anything.html

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u/DJ_HardLogic 24d ago

Then why'd I have to pay for a library card?

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u/rootsnblueslover 24d ago

If in the U.S., it's usually because you don't live and/or work (i.e. pay taxes) in their service area. If otherwise, it might be messed up political situation/priorities where you live.

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u/Solas_Games 24d ago

Funny how the factually true comments about taxes paying for libraries are getting downvoted because they go against the 'capitalism bad' narrative.

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u/Peter_Abelard2 24d ago

OP just lied to me. I just looked at my property tax bill, and I see a library fee.

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u/TyppaHaus 24d ago

You pay for it through taxes tho?

Nothing is free, someone is always paying something

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

Technically you paid in advance, or retrospect depending on your tax status. Nothing is free.

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u/BewareOfBlond 24d ago

Do some people have some kind of gland in their bodies that swells up painfully unless they regularly point out extremely obviously things that everyone already knew in a pedantic way? The "uhhhmm ahkshually" gland?

Because yeah, everyone obviously already knew that sherlock. Completely irrelevant.

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u/DiegoMurtagh 24d ago

Check out the big brain on Brad

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u/AndarianDequer 24d ago

Okay, let's think about this.. public libraries have always been this way. It doesn't matter what decade you go back to, it's literally always one of the few places you can go without the expectation of having to spend the money. This observation tries to be clever but this is nothing new.

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u/Ughim50 24d ago

OP’s comment is more about everything other than libraries rather than the libraries themselves.

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u/TruthOasis 24d ago

It also kinda makes no sense you can obviously go to any public area for free with no expectation to spend money a park, a courthouse, your local police station, walking the sidewalks, you can also go into pretty much any store without your wallet and nobody gives a shit if you hang out on the couch at walmart for 2 hours with your buddy, nobody is expecting you to buy anything anywhere. Ive been to resturaunts with people and haven’t ate just had the water, i went to the public school event where they showed you how to tap maple trees and gave us some free maple treats, Like what is she talking about