Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/06/26/millennials-women-and-college.html
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This is not a good sign. The rich do not need libraries.
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My opinion has always been that there would probably be more traffic if there was Story Time for adults, and not just the children. 
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You have a valid point there.
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Everyone needs libraries! The headline and story mention who is most likely to use them, not who deserves them. They are valuable for all communities.
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I agree, but you won’t find Bill Gates lining up for the free internet.
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Probably not, but he doesn’t fit into any of the groups mentioned.
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I’ve been taking my toddler to the library for about 2 years now. It’s interesting because either 70-90% of the families in my area have girls, or parents of boys are far less likely to take them to the library.
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I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the US (Fairfax County, Virginia). Over the past several years, the hours that our public libraries are open have been fewer and fewer. They’ve automated the check-out process, so that when you want to borrow a book, you scan it out yourself. And when it’s time to return it, if there are any overdue fees, there’s a kiosk where you can pay them without any staff assistance. They’re cutting the budget to the bone, even though the parking lot is usually completely full during the rare moments that the library is actually open. It’s clearly just not a priority for the local government.
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Not to mention adult story time.
I have no problem with automating this kind of stuff. That’s not work a qualified librarian adds any value to. But cutting the hours is stupid. And probably done by people who don’t read.
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Yeah, but they’re not automating to free up staff for more important duties. They’re doing it to cut staff.
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They’d probably cut more if they didn’t automate.
W
H
Y
S
o
?
Because you can cut costs caused by services by two methods:
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Cutting the service.
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Increase productivity, for example by automation.
Ah, you’re applying logic. I rather cynically suspect that the cost-cutters don’t really think these things through, don’t really care about productivity, and will simply seize on any excuse to reduce expenses by reducing staff.
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What an interesting coincidence: my father worked in Social Services in Fairfax County. When I was a smartass teenager, I teased him once about what a tough job it must be, handing out the welfare in the (almost) richest county in America. He just gave me That Look, and said, “You don’t think there are poor people in Fairfax County?”
He was pretty good at making me think.
It pays to checkout library websites. My library has digital magazine service, Rosetta Stone language training, music downloads, ebook borrowing, Lynda design / coding training, all for free with a library card.
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