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Libraries should focus on books
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The November ballot will contain a tax levy to support Hamilton County libraries. Libraries are among the most taken-for-granted free public assets we have, and facing reduced hours and employee firings, who wouldn't want to vote for a tax that might amount to the cost of one book a year, or less?
However, libraries now have expenses they never used to have: computers for public use, and digital media. Computers are now essential research tools, in spite of the frivolous or even decadent purposes which they sometimes serve. Free computer access is a great service, and if the volume is turned off (and the pornography is blocked), is acceptable as a library resource.
But why should libraries provide feature movies at no cost? It's easy to rent a movie for a small fee at stores, and most movies will show up on TV sooner or later. Few films can be considered either literature or history or anything educational. In recent years, Hamilton County libraries modernized their movie collections, got rid of all the old VHS movies, and stocked their shelves only with DVDs. But this didn't mean all the old movies were replaced with DVD copies. They got rid of the tapes. They did not archive them. Of course tapes deteriorate (as will DVDs), but they did not digitalize the tapes. The librarians did not think the old movies had any sort of artistic or historic value. They were trash. If library holdings have value, older items have more value because they are no longer easily available.
Furthermore, in the Madeira branch (perhaps in the others as well), the movies are grouped by letter of the alphabet but not by title, so it is very difficult to find a particular movie. One entire room of the small Madeira branch is devoted to movies and music, but the contents aren't worth alphabetizing.
As for music, digital downloads are now available at little cost. Is it the mission of the library to stock music, which they can do in only the most limited quantities anyway?
Libraries seem to have the idea that to be "relevant" or popular, especially with young people, they need to be providers of popular media, which in any case are changing faster than libraries can keep up. Young people have constant, easy, free access to video and music. They need to understand the more complex skills of reading. If support for libraries depends on public taxation, let the libraries scale down their unnecessary expenses.
Libraries cannot compete with the Internet for access to media, but the Internet cannot replace the printed book.
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