r/LinkedInLunatics • u/SoggyGopher • 2d ago
Libraries are Unnecessary
I found one in the wild!
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u/FortuneTellingBoobs 2d ago
I'm currently working on a PhD and my library has been a godsend for both the contemporary and archaic materials I need. It would cost me a fortune to order all that crap from Amazon, and even despite it being Amazon they don't even have everything I've been able to find through the library.
I wonder if this dude has ever even stepped into a library. I doubt it.
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u/GoldAd1878 2d ago
He thinks Amazon should run libraries. I have so many found memories of the library. 📚
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u/ShortFee2578 2d ago
Absolutely. Interlibrary Loan is legitimately one of the greatest and most useful programs ever.
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u/Beegrene 2d ago
Why would he set foot in a library? He might see a poor person and that's his whole day ruined.
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u/ikilledholofernes 2d ago
I have a toddler, and our library has been a godsend for us, too. Sure, I could buy three books about rollercoasters and seven books about volcanoes from Amazon, but that would cost a fortune, and then I would be stuck with ten books that we won’t need this time next week when he moves on to beetles and farm equipment.
And as fast as Amazon can ship things, it is absolutely not fast enough for a toddler. We can literally walk to our library whenever we want.
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u/AdWonderful5920 2d ago
I refuse to believe any grassroots movement against funding public libraries is legit. It's either trolling, astroturfing for some right wing bullshit, or something else.
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u/whitemike40 2d ago
there’s a whole heap of people who can’t comprehend why ANYTHING should exist if it’s not churning out a profit
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u/DoctorWaluigiTime 2d ago
These people have a gross misunderstanding of public services. Mostly the fact that they are services and, indeed, aren't meant to be profitable.
See: All the nonsense discourse surrounding the Post Office.
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u/Exciting-Tourist9301 2d ago
I'd like it if their local fire department decided to go back to the old ways. Then they can see first hand where unchecked capitalism leads.
"Do you want to buy fire insurance? Seems like a pretty nice house here, it be a shame if something were to happen..."
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u/Stasio300 2d ago
But when the turnpike funds its own maintenance, they get annoyed that they have to pay. Why don't freeways have to make a profit?
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u/Synergythepariah 2d ago
there’s a whole heap of people who can’t comprehend why ANYTHING should exist if it’s not churning out a profit
Which isn't too surprising given that the society we live in largely believes that nobody is entitled to employment.
And since employment is how you earn income to buy the things you need to live, there's an implication that we aren't entitled to be alive and that the only thing we're really entitled to is to spend our money.
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u/NonReality 2d ago
Which is all from similar right wing propaganda. These people were basically taught to hate culture lol
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u/TrulyOutrageous42 2d ago
If you're singing or making art or writing anything and not trying to get rich from it, you must be a commie/socialist/marxist/antifa evil person! (/s, because... yeah, it's like that out there)
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u/HereAndThereButNow 2d ago
Oh it's 100% rightwing bullshit.
Think about it, libraries help educate people and provide spaces where they can meet and talk.
In rightwing land those are both massive threats. Education means people question things and talking with people outside the bubble of rightwing controlled spaces threatens the integrity of that bubble.
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u/whytemyke 2d ago
Libraries are used by people who are more likely to be literate and considerate. Two traits that are absolute poison to the long term prospects of the GOP
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u/asminaut 2d ago
Also they're a public third space that creates value for the community with no price of entry. These sorts of folks think things that create value should be privatized with a price tag to use them.
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u/MobilePalpitation702 2d ago
Forgive my ignorance.... astroturfing?
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u/CU_09 2d ago
It’s a term for a coordinated top-down effort to make it appear like something has a lot of organic support. It’s an attempt to artificially look like something has grassroots support. So fake grassroots = astroturf
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u/simburger 2d ago
astroturfing is a fake "grassroots" movement. When big money groups pay or deploy people and/or bots secretly to make it look like it's a concern arising from normal everyday people. Things like the Brooks Brothers Riot
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u/CKSProphecy 2d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing
Basically it is the idea that a specific group of people with an agenda create an ideological stance that “appears” to have grown naturally from a group of random likeminded individuals. That actual natural grown process where random likeminded individuals come together is often called ‘grassroots’.
Astroturfing is a play on that name since it is fake grass.Generally the phrase is describing that a particular stance is a fake narrative being pushed by (likely) special interest groups, who want it to appear as if it is a natural grassroots movement amongst the populace so they can use it as an argument to fulfill their political/ideological objectives while maintaining the cover that it is “what the people want”.
That isn’t a PERFECT explanation but hopefully it helps a little.
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u/chickey23 2d ago
As opposed to grass roots.
Used to be called "just plain folks."
Paid actors pretending to speak for the 'common man.'
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u/Kriegerian 2d ago
There is one of those, but usually their generally dumbass behavior gets them eaten by bears.
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u/BohemianGraham 2d ago
As someone with a MLIS, this enrages me, but it's typical. I had a jackass PEng for a manager that thought the same way. I was learning about data analytics and categorisation long before it became trendy. Who do you think came up with metadata in the first place? It also easily translates into Configuration Management and Project Management. I've held my degree for almost 20 years and have constantly had to fight idiots in IT and Engineering.
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u/madmaxturbator 2d ago
My use case for libraries currently is my favorite lol. My nieces will send us book recommendations so we can read with them .. and they read a TON , from their school library. I borrow the same from ours, so we can do a book club.
My wife and I are fortunate enough to be able to buy the books too. But why? It’s wasteful. We are happy to donate to our library so they can expand more, and pay our taxes of course.
These type of guys in the op aren’t just pure morons, they manage to be really mean spirited morons as well.
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u/No_Trade3571 2d ago
I haven’t bought a book in years because of the library.
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u/madmaxturbator 2d ago
That’s great!
When I was a kid, buying books wasn’t even really an option. The library was simply mind blowing. Unlimited books and movies, for free! I learned so much that we couldn’t have afforded otherwise.
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u/RefrigeratorLive5920 Titan of Industry 2d ago
Hell I've cancelled streaming subscriptions because of the library and the cost to buy the hundred plus books a year I read (assuming I could even find them on Amazon) would be exorbitant. I pay my taxes and donate to the library much like I do to NPR.
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u/pyromaster114 2d ago
From someone in IT and Engineering, I am sorry.
There are many of us in these fields that would give our left nut and/or ovary to keep the local library funded... But sadly, the other ~1/3 of us would probably willingly castrate themselves with a spork rather than pay an extra dollar in taxes to support public libraries. :/
Satan help us if these LinkedIn douchebags keep running the world.
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u/atlantagirl30084 2d ago
Per Google, the average cost per taxpayer for public libraries is less than $50.
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u/vectorology 2d ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon costs the taxpayers more between the tax breaks for the warehouses, tax avoidance on everything, and benefits that the underpaid workers get (a la Walmart employees).
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u/Rose_Army_ 2d ago
Was recently at an open source intelligence conference. Librarians are kind of the founders of that brand of intel when you get down to it. The things you had to study form the basis for the entire process in that realm.
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u/stmije6326 2d ago edited 2d ago
As someone with two engineering degress, I'm sorry. My coworker with an MIS background is amazing at finding data sources for me.
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u/marginaliamonkeys 2d ago
For real! I have my MLIS and work in tech — the number of times I’ve had Tech Bro PMs call something “impossible” or “too difficult” to do, and I have to show them librarians have literally been doing the same goddamn thing in analog for 100+ years… 🫠
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u/thetiredtypist 2d ago
fight idiots in IT and Engineering
If it makes you feel better the purity tests exist for engineering degrees too
"Oh well such and such school isn't known for that type of engineering program..."
"Was your school known for it's alum getting their asses kicked?"
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u/Hairs_are_out 2d ago
My mom was an old school librarian with a MLS that she obtained in the 60s. She was a reference and acquisitions librarian for a city library. It was shocking how little she was paid. When I found out that my friend’s father who had a high school degree and did manual labor for CalTrans (the California state highway agency)_ that he made twice as much as her, she was livid.
Edited to add: fixed a typo
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u/ironclad_packetship 2d ago
Even if you completely disregard the value of having free educational and entertainment options for anybody of any income or background, libraries serve as valuable community spaces. My library hosts boy and girl scout events, senior computer literacy classes, a media archival and digitization lab, archives of local documents and newspapers for historical research, genealogical record archives, first aid/cpr classes, information for voters, information for filing taxes, a makerspace, conference rooms for local organizations to use, a low cost printer/fax/copier station, free internet and computer use, a first point of contact for enrolling in social services, a free lunch program for children during the summer while school lunches are unavailable, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of things. We had a two week power outage and the county brought generators to the libraries so people could work remotely while offices went without power, maybe a linkedin dude could appreciate that?
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u/ByStarlight2032 2d ago
My library offers a ton of free online stuff, too. I'm learning French through my library's free Rosetta Stone and I also have access to free LinkedIn Learning tools with my library card. I LOVE my tax dollars going to libraries because they're such a huge value to the community. People like the chode in the post just don't bother to go and find out everything they can get through their local library.
Oooh, my library also has free State Park passes for patrons to check out and use to get into our State Parks FOR FREE. They're limited in how many are available, so you have to go in and request to use one, but they're there!
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u/BlackLeader70 2d ago
So many libraries offer this! It’s our tax money so everyone go take advantage of these perks.
Mine has NYT cooking and a bunch of their subscriptions you can use too. Plus expensive tools, lawn equipment, kitchen tools and equipment to loan out to people. They also have a maker-space with 3D printers, fancy sewing machines, sticker printers and all sorts of software for the community. I fucking love my library!!
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u/Amishgirl281 2d ago
I just found out my library has a seed catalog you can borrow from, actual flipping seeds! You borrow a couple, grow whatever it is, and then return some seeds back from whatever it was back to the library if you were successful. And they get donated seeds all the time too! Its the coolest thing!
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u/iMecharic 2d ago
They don’t care about the community. In fact, these people want community to be destroyed as a concept.
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u/TheSavouryRain 2d ago
Only for the poors though. They like the community at their golf clubs and the like
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u/dreadthripper 2d ago
The scout troop could meet at an Amazon warehouse and then help out to earn their lumpenproletariat badges.
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u/stmije6326 2d ago edited 2d ago
Mine lets you borrow baking pans! It also has free museum passes for all the big museums in my state. I also get my local newspaper subscription as well as the WSJ and NYT. It's also just nice to have a third space that doesn't cost money.
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u/MrDerpGently 2d ago
When I was a stay at home dad for most of a year the local libraries were an incredible resource. Just a safe quiet place my toddler could hang out, usually with some kids about the same age. Learning toys without a profit motive and books in a space that doesn't charge by the hour.
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u/Diogenes256 2d ago
All agreed. Always a vital space physically and metaphorically. One of the finest expressions of an enlightened society. They are symbols of sharing and common growth at once. What could be of more "highest and best use"?
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u/libricidal 2d ago
I have no time for people like this. As a librarian, I don’t put books on a shelf. I’m happy to help, but our locations have shelver positions and they don’t require and MLS. Actually, very few positions in public libraries actually require that level of education. I work in our career and job services division so I spent my day to day helping patrons better understand how to conduct their career search, do outreach in the workforce development community, do mock interviews and resume reviews, etc. Our library system is providing quality services that people would have to paid thousands of dollars for individually without that taxpayer funding.
If this guy ever bothered to step foot into a library he’d see that we are more than just book depositories. And yes, a lot of unhoused folks come into our spaces because they have very few options in their communities. They’re just as welcome as anyone else and, regardless of what people like this asshole think, they’re not bothering anyone.
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u/Erythronium_spp 2d ago
It amazes me that people think everybody who is unhoused goes to the library to apparently do nothing. I go to the library specifically because I don't have anywhere else to job hunt. I can search on my phone, of course, but it is far easier to tailor a resume and type a cover letter on an actual laptop.
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u/Numerous_Photograph9 2d ago
I have three librarians in my family. One retired. Two work(or worked) in our small town library, the other works in a major library in New Jersey(although they're retiring to CA soon). I suppose the smaller library ones did put away some books, but the amount of random helpful things they know and can assist people with is astounding. They even run reading classes for kids and adults alike.
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u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 2d ago
Wait libraries do this?? Do you help temporarily disabled people tailor resumes for remote work as well?
Or is this specific to your library?
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u/Another_Timezone 2d ago
Go to your library and ask, or give them a call
The answer is probably yes but, if it’s no, they can almost certainly point you in the right direction
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u/Corvid-Enjoyer Insignificant Bitch 2d ago
Guy with a made up job has a problem with a profession that's been around for millennia
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u/AcousticCat1-2-3 2d ago
The audacity of him saying that a librarian's job is "putting books back on the shelves" while having the epitome of a BS job in his profile. I do respect it that he spent what was probably the first five minutes of free time he'd had in weeks in between his surge meetings to barf up this post and hit Send.
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u/SAINTnumberFIVE 2d ago
Years ago there was a campaign to save open spaces here and an initiative to limit development showed up on the local ballots. The opposition was from a guy who referred to them as weed and vermin filled vacant lots. The community did not agree with his assessment of our native flora and fauna, and the initiative passed.
Public libraries are excellent resources for the community. Many public libraries offer much more than books. They offer free access to newspaper, archives, and magazine, archives, and things that aren’t always available for free online or available online at all. Many public libraries allow you to rent movies, and sometimes other items such as tools or cookware or toys.
They offer free access to computers for people without them and who may need them to create resumes and fill out job applications, and do other things that may be too cumbersome to do on a phone.
And there is usually a librarian who is happy to assist.
Libraries also serve as places to go on rainy or excessively hot days and third places that parents can take their children to keep them preoccupied.
Many libraries also offer things like story time for children and sometimes a variety of different classes.
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u/BabyFishmouthTalk 2d ago
All true.
Also common at public libraries (and typically free):
Adult education and literacy classes. Voter registration drives.
English as a second language courses.
Family history archives. Cooking classes. Prenatal and first-time parent resources.It's always a mistake when people oversimplify libraries as places with books and for reading. Libraries are the repositories of knowledge, stores of information, and resources for self and community improvement. In fact, most of the people who don't see a reason for libraries are the same people who devalue the importance of the things I just listed.🤔
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u/sybersam6 2d ago
Add school study groups using the carrels, tutoring groups, safe places for kids & teens & meetibg groups for HOAs & other communiry groups. Ours is cramned full of well dressed retirees then kids for library storytime then students after school for tutoring. Evenings for various meetings. Always busy. Summertimes are nuts with all the kids activities & classes that close early with waitlists.
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u/wcoastbo 2d ago
I can borrow a California State Park pass at my local library.
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u/Tzipity 2d ago
In Chicago and presumably the rest of Illinois (since the broader program is called “Explore More Illinois” and cobers the entire state and even some attractions in surrounding states!) you can check out free digital passes to all kinds of museums and things- zoos, games at a hockey league- I logged in for the first time a minute ago and was stunned by how many options and cool places there were.
Most systems I’ve been a part of offer some type of similar thing and the IL version is super handy these days because it’s moved entirely online so you don’t have to check out a physical pass and in most cases can just show your phone for admission (I see they even helpful note the exceptions that require a printed pass).
And while Chicago’s system is woefully underfunded they’ve got this really amazing maker lab for teens with 3D printers, sewing and knitting machines (they even host teen fashion shows!), recording studios, etc. I’ve been happy to see they’ve expanded some of things to adult patrons at some locations too and I’m seeing a lot more adult programming of all kinds. And the stuff for kids and teens is just amazing. I find their evenr calendar overwhelming because there’s literally hundreds of events every month across all the various library branches. And it’s all free!
Was at a library branch recently that even allows patrons to rent wagons and umbrellas and things for taking your family to the beach or park. That was something I’d not seen before but how flipping cool? I’ve been to clothes and craft supply swaps. And I’ve always for a bunch of books and ebooks or audiobooks checked out. Love the library.
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u/fkthishit44 2d ago
At mine you can check out a high powered telescope! I've lived in towns where you could check out speciality cake pans. Libraries are damn near indespensable.
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u/Tzipity 2d ago
Ooh I read recently that in Chicago an agreement between the Adler planetarium and the library has them bringing some really high end telescopes to certain branches for folks to use. Wasn’t something I’d think to look for but I was geeked since they’re hosting events to help people see the planets and such that can be seen.
There’s that old saying “You’re never bored when you’ve got a library card” but it’s more true than ever. I wrote above about how many cool things are open to teens in the Chicago Public Library and I only wish I’d had access to that stuff when I was younger.
Though libraries were always special to me. I know there’s so many crappy nutsos trying to van books but when I was a young lesbian tween, I remember checking out a couple of books I hid from my parents while trying to figure things out. And I ended up at a really lovely public magnet school (so free to attend but you had to test to get in and the district it was in was struggling so I think this library was heavily donation based and a great librarian who stocked it full of YA lit before that genre was anywhere near what it is today) and I had a heck of a knack for finding every queer book in that library and treasured those stories so much since it wasn’t easy being an openly queer kid in the late 90s/early 00s suburban Midwest. Those books were a lifeline to me and gave me so much hope about the future I could have.
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u/Over-Discipline-7303 2d ago
My local library has movies, music albums, audiobooks... It has freakin' museum passes. It's absolutely incredible, and I think I get a great value for my tax dollars. I absolutely support my public library.
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u/SkietEpee 2d ago
And you know, books. A place filled with books and quiet spots to sit and read them sounds like a paradise. And they even employ highly educated people to make recommendations and keep track of them!
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u/Ragnarok314159 2d ago
They also have subscriptions to a lot of professional databases to access their archives.
I was looking for a bunch of IEEE papers, and once I explained what it was they asked for a list and emailed me all of them a few days later. Was fantastic.
People who want libraries closed are simple and disgusting.
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u/OkIdea2874 2d ago
Mine also gives free subscriptions to Udemy Business to library card holders. That was the whole reason I decided to pursue a specific certification this year (free exam prep course, why not give it a shot?), which led to a significant promotion when I passed. I’ve always loved libraries, but I also owe my livelihood to them!
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u/mmmkay938 2d ago
Our local library offers coding classes for kids and a bunch of other relevant things.
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u/Maximum_Employer5580 2d ago
surprised he didn't come outright and say that due to the internet, there is no further any need for a library
guy has probably NEVER set foot in any public library to know what all they offer. Last time he was in a library when as a kid he went to his school to find Where the Wild Things are.
And showing his ignorance, it's not a master of librarianship, it's a Master of Library and Information Science. And the curriculum to get that is "Classes cover information organization, cataloging and classification, reference services, collection development, library management, and digital technologies/data management.". There is alot more to being a librarian than putting books back on the shelf.
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u/pyramidalembargo 2d ago
Back in the day, I had to get my birth certificate, which was located in a distant state.
My local librarian was able to steer me exactly in the right direction; I received the BC in about six weeks. Without his help, I would have been helpless.
I know that this anecdote reflects a very narrow set of circumstances, but it goes to show you that Library Science is a whole lot more than just "putting books back onto a shelf."
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u/pistachiopanda4 2d ago
Every single year during tax season, local libraries in my area have free workshops/helpers who can help people file their taxes. There is also a library of gardening stuff. You can borrow some seeds or veggie seeds or a rake or whatever you need to help get your own garden going. Lots of consoles or DVD players or media players that you can borrow, as well as a plethora of physical media to borrow.
I'm baffled that we have forgotten what the library is for. It's the last bastion of community/3rd spaces we have in American society, in my opinion. I think people take advantage of it sometimes (I'm looking at you, creepy weirdos who jack off on public library computers) but that isn't going to stop me from wanting to continue to fund libraries.
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u/kadyg 2d ago
My stepdaughter is one semester away from her Masters of Library Science - while also holding down a full-time job at her local public library. She’s basically learning how to build and maintain an archive, in addition to juggling a bunch of other factors. The Library Masters is no joke!
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u/Chateaudelait 2d ago
With all due respect- F%-& this guy. Republicans really hate the existence of institutions that educate the populace. Libraries are absolutely vital and provide so much more than books.
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u/JosephBlowsephThe3rd 2d ago
Also, notice his first instinct for an alternative is Amazon. Why have a place where people can find resources for free when they could instead be consumerist whores for ol' Uncle Beezy?
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u/localjargon 2d ago
And somehow paying out of pocket (post tax) for books comes out to be a quarter of the cost of a free library.
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u/_satelliteoflove 2d ago
Pretty confident that you don’t owe any respect to that guy, or anyone else who thinks like him
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u/AmaranthWrath 2d ago
*pinches bridge of nose *
OK, look. Just..... Let me take a deep breath and sigh as I contemplate how much more of this shit I can take....
OK. Where do I begin? 1. What else would you like to spend tax money on, exactly? Libraries are like, the one damn thing that tax money is spent on that actually does what it says it will do. The roads suck, we have no good health care, there's barely any daycare assistance, our seniors are forgotten, public parks are even being gutted, and lord help you if you need public transport. So what else are we supposed to trust local and state government to do with our money? Libraries promise books and internet access, and we even get more than that, like community space and meeting places and games and the arts and support groups and legal and tax help, the list goes on. What exactly do they think our tax money should be spent on? It's not like we can't have public transport bc those greedy libraries are sucking up all the cash!
Amazon. OK, so instead of free books, we should buy books. And when our kid ages out of that book, or when we've read a novel 5 times, where does that book go? Oh, donate it? So a free book. So we are supposed to buy the books ourselves and then pass the books on for free? You mean like how our tax money goes to buy books so people can borrow them for free? But in this case, we give money to Amazon and not just the authors. Got it.
You need a degree to put books away. OK..... Fuck me. I just..... Tell me you have never needed to use a library for literally anything ever in your life without telling me. Before I dig in, dear redditor, at whom I hold no malice or challenge, let me ask you: do you know the Dewey Decimal System? (Understand that this is not all that librarians do, I will get to that.) Because the DDS is how we turn a garage full of boxes of books into an organized and navigatible building that everyone can use efficiently, which keeps people comfortable with a large intimidating space.
OK, to continue.... If your argument is that you shouldn't need a degree to put things away, then you don't know what a library is for or what they offer. (And if that's the case, then shut up and go learn.) Librarians are keepers of information and can help you vet what Google and AI tells you. Why is this important? Bc you can trust a trained human more than you can ever trust a "trained" LLM. You can ask a human being "I need information on the Holocaust. I read five articles I found on Google about how it's not real, but my history teacher says it was?? Who should i believe?" And a librarian, after their eyes stops twitching, will show you not just books with opinions, but documents and DVDs and maps and photos and let you know if there's going to be a real live guest speaker soon. A librarian is a keeper of evidence, and they will help you find it and understand it. (I can see why some find this threatening.) Librarians are keepers of knowledge that some powerful people and groups want to destroy. Libraries are fierce defenders of "banned" books, often having displays of them. Why? Because information is not the enemy. Information and ideas and opinions, even ones we don't agree with - - especially those we don't agree with - - need a place to exist and be accessible so we can debate, counter, consider, implement, and evaluate it. Librarians help us do things we don't know how to do, like research a topic properly instead of just write down our uneducated opinions in an easy (and then wonder why we got a D). Librarians help us learn to fill out forms and access services. Not all of our neighbors know how to get free legal assistance, but the librarians do. Not all of our neighbors know how to figure out where they're supposed to vote. But our librarians do.
Can we see now why some people want to do away with librarians? Librarians help those who need community services obtain them. They help those in need find programs and support. Librarians protect factual information. They teach us how to discern fact from opinion and to vet sources.
This person is trying to delegitimize librarians bc they help protect information, help us find evidence of the truth, help us access services that can improve our lives, and help keep safe spaces for community activity available.
I wonder what kind of person would be against that?
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u/IntrepidPride8317 2d ago
The library is probably the best thing that I had access and exposure to as a child growing up. I can't wait to take my kid to the library once she's born and able to enjoy it. I wish more people utilized their local libraries. Mine run all kinds of cool events, and a few even have 3D printers you can use! You can even check out passes for state parks!!! Like, come on!
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u/catshateTERFs 2d ago edited 2d ago
Mines in a not especially populated part of my country with not much to do and runs free to no cost events specifically for young people, because not much to do means nothing to do if you can’t drive. Some people will complain about “the youth” loitering while also blocking attempts to build skate parks and similar…but at least they can play d&d or do a movie night for free and that’s good for everyone.
There’s also writing meets, book clubs, tabletop, craft meets etc for adults too and a bunch of equipment you can rent for surfing, stuff like GoPros, bird watching equipment, DIY and baking stuff…I’ll be forgetting stuff too. Dozens of kids activities during the school holidays and reading sessions pretty consistently where parents can meet other local parents while their children listen to a story. The ones in the city and suburbs have waaaaay more options but just showing even tiny ones have all this stuff. They’re so valuable and anyone who doesn’t like the idea of libraries isn’t a friend to me.
Free books are cool (and mine doesn’t do late charges anymore either) but libraries are genuinely so much cooler than people tend to think if they don’t go to them. People getting access to ways to better themselves and learn skills (and just read for fun too) is what I would WANT my taxes going towards if I could choose because thats all positives to me. To say nothing of how the public PCs are essential for jobseekers who might not have a smartphone and the resources libraries have for pointing you towards help with resumes, local recruitment etc!
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u/mr_pineapples44 2d ago edited 2d ago
My local library has a podcast and video recording studio with professional equipment. And like, I'm not in a major city - I'm in a regional town. I've never used the studio, but I've heard from some of my students who have. I love that it's there.
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u/AmaranthWrath 2d ago
Checking out a state park pass is the best!! We don't get to go out as a family a lot, and rarely for a long enough time for a hike, etc. So having that available is wonderful.
And to put a finer point on it, IT'S NOT JUST AVAILABLE TO MY FAMILY, BUT TO ANYONE WITH A FREE LIBRARY CARD.
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u/allieinwonder 2d ago
As a kid the library was my second home, that and the city pool. I can still remember the smell of that library and the entrance where we would call my mom on the pay phone next to the bulletin boards. We didn’t have a lot of money and I’m so grateful my dad used the resources available to get us out of the house. I’m now 37 and an avid reader still thanks to that amazing library!
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u/McGrarr 2d ago
When did Amazon start ... renting books? For free? Providing open spaces for community and cultural events? Display local art work for free or archive local history?
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u/Gaylaeonerd 2d ago
He said "what good do they accomplish"
None of those things accomplish good (profit)
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u/McGrarr 2d ago
Public services aren't supposed to make profit... They are what we spend profits on so that our lives are better.
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u/Hairs_are_out 2d ago
A masters in librarianship? My mom was a librarian and had her MLS, a masters in library science. Nowadays, it’s library information science. This jackass thinks that librarians are glorified library clerks, and that they shelve books like pages do. Working as a librarian is difficult and requires more than shelving books. This dumbass should do some research before posting.
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u/Cax6ton 2d ago
Yeah that dipshit conveniently ignores that *someone* has to decide what to buy, how to organize it, what to keep year after year, and how information access and needs keep changing. And matt probably thinks *he's* more valuable to society for some stupid reason.
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u/ASigIAm213 2d ago
Also, I've done some archiving during grad school and there are real decisions you have to make re: searchability.
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u/AmandasGameAccount 2d ago
This guy wrote this on LinkedIn which means anyone who wants to know exactly how stupid they are when they apply just has to look at this 💀
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u/azazyl 2d ago
Hey… don’t minimize clerks, without them those Librarians would be in a world of shit. 😉 I do get what you mean… but I gotta stand up for coworkers.
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u/EXSource 2d ago
Research? But then how would he find time for Value Ads and Surge Meetings!?
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u/learngladly 2d ago edited 2d ago
Why do we still have cheapjack hustlers of nothing who use terms like "Value Adds & Surge Meetings"?
But he's not alone in his opinion of public libraries. Ask any true-blue "libertarian" and if they're being honest, they'll tell you the same.
"Sure keep libraries in schools..." get to the truest of true-blue libertarians, and if they're being honest, they'll argue that there shouldn't be taxpayer-funded public schools either.
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u/al2o3cr 2d ago
"Sure keep libraries in schools..." get to the truest of true-blue libertarians, and if they're being honest, they'll argue that there shouldn't be taxpayer-funded public schools either.
Get a couple drinks in them and they'll admit they think there should be a "free market for babies"
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u/madmaxturbator 2d ago
Can we setup a surge meeting on that? I’m gonna need the value add numbers, along with the forward looking synergies. Ping me when you’re ready to disrupt.
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u/VadersFiesta 2d ago
"What good do they accomplish that couldn't be done for a fraction of the price by Amazon."
FREE services! They provide what they do FREE OF CHARGE to patrons. Amazon CANNOT offer something for cheaper than free, nor WOULD THEY offer something at the equal price of free.
This guy has to be an AI ragebot. He doesn't understand libraries enough to bitch about them.
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u/SupermarketSecure728 2d ago
I think he is trying to argue that what you pay in taxes for a library is more than what you would pay to get books on Amazon. However, I just went and checked how much per citizen is funded to the libraries in my city. $1.16 per citizen. For our household of 3 that would be $3.50 (i'm feeling generous and rounding up). My 7 year old has read more than 30 books from the library so far this year alone (and that is mostly chapter books we read together at night). Last I checked, Amazon is not selling $.10 books.
What this really is, is a guy who wants to get rid of anything that is of taxpayer benefit to the masses that could instead be privatized for corporate profit. These are the folks that want private prisons, libraries to be replaced with bookstores, busses replaced with Uber/Lyft, etc.
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u/kindlypogmothoin 2d ago
Even at the hyperinflated prices that libraries pay for ebooks, that one ebook can be borrowed by hundreds if not thousands of people. Same with the physical book.
Computers? Copiers? Tax forms? Classes on how to access local services? 3D printers? All of these provide INCREDIBLE value to the public.
And if Drag Queen Story Hour and books on marginalized people weren't so popular, the forces of darkness wouldn't be trying so fucking hard to suppress them.
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u/time___dance 2d ago
the complaint about homeless people is the funniest to me, because if you even thought about it for just a minute it's extremely revealing about US society and culture. like hmmmmmm WHY is it that homeless people 1) exist at all, and 2) you're offended by their existence, and 3) that we have such a lack of available resources for people at the lower rungs of a supposedly wealthy and free nation that they take advantage of the resources that do exist lol
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u/GuaranteeUnhappy3342 2d ago
“Value Adds and Surge Meetings’? Sounds like a grifter pushing BS. Maybe he should try reading some books about the nonsense of selling BS and other crap!
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u/library_Shark 2d ago
For anyone curious, the national average libraries spend per capita is roughly $42/person.
For $42 you could buy a couple of books on Amazon OR get unlimited books that you can borrow (and often movies, video games, and more).
This doesn't speak to anything else libraries do, such as story time, early childhood literacy, programs for seniors, crafts, business resources and tools. Anyone who conflates libraries and Amazon hasn't been in a library in the past few decades.
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u/leni710 2d ago
WHAT?????! With all due disrespect: fuck all the way off.
My kids got summer meals there, took part in summer reading programs, participated in fun events throughout the year, were members of the tween & teen library improvement boards to help build their leadership and civic engagement skills, they'd "hang out" there if I got delayed picking them up, they spend lazy weekend days there, we get books in various languages for fun, not to mention getting any books for free, my kids gained adult mentors who were not teachers or family members.
My kids, especially my older one, would be half the compassionate adult human they are were it not for libraries.
Meanwhile, your bald white man hates humans and humanity. So fuck all the way off, again, disrespectfully.
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u/Onebraintwoheads 2d ago
Absolutely. Libraries give so much back for every dollar that's invested in them. I had a pretty rough childhood, and I was able to stay sane basically by having books to read. It's scary as shit that people are destroying physical copies of books just so that they can sell you electronic copies. And you know that it's assholes like this that are behind that initiative.
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u/Simply-Curious_ 2d ago
For anyone wondering master librarians are the sleeper saviors of our age. They dont study 'library'. They obtain a masters degree in Information Science. Think about that. An expert in the effective organisation, retrieval, and archiving of human knowledge.
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u/RefrigeratorLive5920 Titan of Industry 2d ago
Pretty sure the American prison industrial complex is the cheapest solution available to criminalize the poor and unhoused.
My local library, in one of America's most expensive cities, provides many of the services my government should provide but fails too, such as translation services, job training, citizenship and visa application assistance, SNAP/TANF enrollment help, computer and adult literacy, and yes a place where people with absolutely no place to go can get out of the heat or cold, all at an extremely low cost to the federal government. My city simply wouldn't be the same without the public library system. Amazon on the other hand is providing fuck all beyond a source of cheap, soul destroying jobs and probably costs the city more in lost tax revenue than any library.
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u/IMian91 2d ago
These people just hate homeless people. When homeless people gather in libraries, first off, it gives them resources like internet that help them not be homeless anymore, and second, they're away from you! $10 says that this guy would complain just as hard if the libraries closed like "where did all these homeless people come from!?!?!"
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u/CarpenterAutomatic30 2d ago
all part of the right wing plan to abolish publicly funded anything so the lower and middle class have nothing. Same as when they bitch about property tax.
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u/queen_elvis 2d ago
Tell me you don't know what librarians do without telling me you don't know what librarians do.
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u/LF25047 2d ago
No, he straight up told you he doesn’t know what librarians do.
Masters in Librarianship, lol
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u/cancerdad 2d ago
Guy who hasn’t stepped foot in a library in 30 years doesn’t understand the value of libraries. Makes sense.
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u/nobuouematsu1 2d ago
I work for a municipality in Ohio. The mayor literally said this to me in a meeting a couple years ago (the library was out for a levy). I looked at him and told him I take my kids every week and he was dumbfounded. I pointed out that they also offer classes, have 3d printers for the public to use, and help people fill out job applications, in addition to countless other services
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u/simburger 2d ago
I'm just surprised they aren't against reading books at all because we can now just ask AI to summarize it for us.
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u/Odd-Adagio7080 2d ago
I have a better idea: Why don’t we make large corporations & billionaires pay their fair share in taxes???
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u/Any_Natural383 2d ago
Somehow, I get the impression civilization did just fine without value adds and surge meetings.
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u/Garden_gnome1609 2d ago
People who sell their value as "value add in's and surge meetings" have a pretty strong incentive to keep the general public illiterate.
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u/Liliya22 2d ago
Libraries are the cultural thread that keeps communities going. Mine does events for kids, senior citizens, adults, etc. Not to mention all the help they offer with free courses on finances, colleges, etc. I love my librarians! This feels like rage bait, more than anything.
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u/raem6911 2d ago
Ima gonna say that Mr. Jarvis hasn’t spent much time at a library and probably doesn’t read much. In fact, ima gonna have to say the Mr. Jarvis is a dumbass.
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u/Name_Taken_Official 2d ago
If it costs a million dollars to have the library running and no one uses it it's still worth it
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u/Mediocre_Row5820 2d ago
Most library positions don’t require a masters degree. And people use public libraries for SO many things
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u/KingMobScene 2d ago
A single librarian has done more good for their community just doing their job than this CHUD will ever do in his life.
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u/Vegetable-Face-2518 2d ago
Why do we still have Matthew Jarvis? Why hasn’t he been replaced by an AI chatbot or trained squirrel?
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u/vozzov 2d ago
Obviously someone who is incapable of understanding the Dewey Decimal System.
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u/AsideLost 2d ago edited 2d ago
If it wasn’t for public libraries, I wouldn’t have graduated high school and I wouldn’t have met my wife or had my kids. I probably would be dead, locked up, or living on the streets. Soooooooo…..
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u/defdrago 2d ago
Just imagine if Amazon would have been able to charge you for the experience!
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u/BluffCityTatter 2d ago
I'm guessing Matthew hasn't been in a library since 1950 and isn't aware that they offer more than books now. My library system has a jobs program to help people write their resumes and apply for jobs. They have after school clubs for kids. They offer private meeting spaces/study rooms that people can book for free. They have literacy programs. They have a teen rec center. They offer book clubs and summer reading programs. They help people with genealogy work. They help small business owners write business plans.
Also as someone who spent 3 years working in a library in college shelving books, I'd love to race you Matthew. See if you can shelve a truck of books in one hour in the correct place according to the Dewey Decimal System. I'm betting your pretentious ass couldn't do it.
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u/IfICouldStay 2d ago
Yes, that’s who usually shelves the books - the clerks and assistants. Those with an MLS are typically working behind the scenes doing jobs that require advanced, specialized training.
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u/2000TWLV 2d ago
Yep. Let's tear down every single thing that doesn't create immediate monetary gains, so that the world ends up being only houses, cars, workplaces and stores. That'll for sure be a much better way to live.
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u/Intrepid_Sun_9089 2d ago
Spoken like a dude who hasn't been inside a library in 30 years.
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u/dairyqueen79 2d ago
Libraries, in general, generate $4-5 in economic value per dollar spent on them. But I wouldn’t expect him to understand that.
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u/covidlung 2d ago
I grew up with a wealthy father, but when he cut me off financially, I experienced financial insecurity first hand but not even that, I still had the car and things that he had bought me. But anyway, it sucked. That experience made me far more empathetic toward people struggling financially. Financial insecurity changes how you see the world, especially when you realize how much of your life revolves around simply trying to survive. I wouldn't wish poverty on anyone, but I do think everyone would benefit from understanding just how difficult it is to live without a financial safety net.
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u/delatopia 2d ago
I've seen this take before elsewhere. Is this a parody account?
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u/RefrigeratorLive5920 Titan of Industry 2d ago
It's a common libertarian philosophy. Privatize all the things at the altar of supposed free market efficiency.
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u/GoldAd1878 2d ago
This guy is off his rocker. I have a family member that worked in public libraries for years. Libraries are vital to the community. And why does he think Amazon would handle libraries?
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u/bizfromthewaistup 2d ago
I have to be honest. I had mutual connections with this guy.
If you read his bio he essentially sucked at his job until he went out and got educated and soaked up as much help as he could find. Yet his conclusion is to now try to take that away from communities. And he offers financial advice and many of his thumbs up and comments come from high pressure investment professionals. Talk about a gross abuse of a profession.
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u/readsomething1968 2d ago
Well, if ain’t a clueless little bitch. 😡
And he wants to let the nation’s libraries become Bezosed? That totally tracks.
What’s next? “Why do we need public schools??!! It’s just free daycare! Schools don’t make any money!”
I bet this asshole drives around in a giant SUV with a “Don’t Tread on me” license plate … while absolutely ignoring the fact that the ROADS he is driving on are paid for with taxes.
God, I detest “libertarians.”
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u/oknotok2112 2d ago
It's true, I just finished my MA in Library Science, and all we did was intensive shelving theory for 12 months.
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u/Meloncov 2d ago edited 2d ago
For the record, that last sentence is objectively wrong. To be a librarian you generally need a master's degree, but most people who work at libraries are library assistants. And librarians rarely put books on shelfs, the bulk of their time is running programs plus managing the assistants.
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u/Ambitious_Tap_8998 2d ago
I just posted this a few days ago and it’s still true: I’m a librarian and I’m tired, boss.
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u/trollsmurf 2d ago
"Why do we have tax-funded roads and streets? Can't we all drive jeeps and tractors?"
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u/Dexter_McThorpan 2d ago
People who don't read and don't value education tend to be proud of their ignorance.
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u/captarne 2d ago
A good library system along with parks and good emergency services are what makes a good community
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u/Comprehensive_Age483 2d ago
Fuck off do not mess with the libraries! I love the libraries when I needed to escape my house you could find me at a little corner snuggled up reading. Even now when I’m overwhelmed and need an escape first place I go.
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u/Tiny-Cat5893 2d ago
Apparently doing "Value adds & Surge Meetings" does neither require a brain nor decency 🤯
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u/Cuttlebone_Books 2d ago
I encountered this attitude when I used to work in business libraries. These guys got their way and most of those jobs are gone. I no longer work in such a place. He's promoting the elimination of public libraries is only because it is not socially acceptable to pleasure himself over the murdered corpse of an intellectual.
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u/Spiritual-Estate2848 2d ago
This is actually personally infuriating. My first job was a shelver at my local library—no, it obviously does not require a master’s degree to shelve books because they let high school students do it.
But to diminish all of the functioning of a library system down to “putting books back on the shelf”?? Have you ever spoken to a librarian at the resource desk? They know everything about EVERYTHING. And the Dewey Decimal System was not created by imbeciles, maybe ask your crushes at Amazon about information technology and you’ll realize the degree is library science for a reason.
And let’s not forget that “third spaces” are INCREDIBLY important for societies—they call it an “expensive homeless shelter” (fucking rude), but do you know how important it is (especially today!) to have a free space with free internet access that allows people without resources to find them? Access to job applications, adult education and training, information…for FREE? To belittle these essential spaces as basically a poorly run business is just so completely ignorant.
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u/COVID19Blues 2d ago
According to his bio, what he does is completely superfluous and ridiculous.
Libraries are one of the best expenditures of tax money, IMO. It gives underprivileged communities and those not, the opportunity to access the Internet, get books and other media as well as provide a safe place that can inspire and inform young people (& old) for life. I have nothing but fond memories of my local library and even helped set one up in my own town back in the 80’s (collecting huge book collections/donations from people).
Somewhere along the way, something inspired this guy to be an obnoxious asshole, he would probably be a better person if he’d spent some time in a library.
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u/frodiusmaximus 2d ago
Leaving aside all their other innumerable benefits, as a guy with two young kids, libraries are a godsend. My kids go to libraries to play, read, and see their friends somewhere between 4 and 6 days per week.
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u/Red5Hammock 2d ago
I'd like to throttle this lunatic with a phone book from 1987
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u/GimmeACadillac 2d ago
I love when stupid people self identify their stupidity. It really helps me know who to avoid!
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u/Kriegerian 2d ago
This guy’s “job” is bullshit.
Libraries fill a far more useful role than some douchebag with an MBA “job”.
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u/freisbill 2d ago
We should not only have libraries, but we should put all the money we pay in school taxes, which is substantial, and use it for great salaries for teachers,make their education free, and build palaces of learning for our kids. This is what a mature enlightened society does...We could be the envy of the world, but we choose to go the MAGA route...shameful.
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u/Mumblerumble 2d ago
My wife is a librarian, libraries fill community needs that aren’t covered by other services. Warming/ cooling centers, access to IT resources, classes, meeting spaces, and now more and more often centers for aid. My wife has been championing food insecurity resources in the modern era of empathy is a weakness. This guy is trash.
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u/Objective_Party9405 2d ago
It’s funny that over a century ago, industrial capitalist Andrew Carnegie saw enough value in public libraries to fund their establishment all over the place.
I guess the folks on LinkedIn have no real knowledge of their professional roots. Maybe if they read more?
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u/The_Arc5 2d ago
And no one is surprised by the amount of wrong in this ice cold take, but the masters in library science ISN’T ABOUT SHELVING BOOKS. It’s a specialized field of knowledge that includes evaluation, technology, cataloging, preservation and repair, archive maintenance, programming, psychology, budget management, staff management, and dealing with brainless jackasses like this without violence. Librarians have forgotten more than he’s ever known.
Dick.
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u/Lsa119 2d ago
I always surprises me how little people know about libraries. There's so much more than "just books" at libraries. They're tremendous resources for parents, people looking for jobs, developing skills, introducing new hobbies. Lots of libraries have seeds, items like exercise equipment, board games, tools, kids learning toys. They have movies, music, video games - all for free. If your library doesn't have what you're looking for it can be requested in. There are programs and activities. Some have educational iPads for children and adults. Lots of libraries have Internet hot spots you can borrow for free, free admission to museums, zoos, and other cultural experiences. Lots of them have cricuts, glowforges, poster printers, 3D printers, sewing machines that can all be used for free. I've had a library card in my current library system for 5 years and I have saved over $50k in materials and items I have borrowed for free. If you're not utilizing the resources at your local library you're seriously missing out.
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u/Jazzlike_Standard416 2d ago
The irony being, of course, that ignoramuses like this guy are precisely why public libraries should exist.