[Publib] Charging for Guest Use of Internet

[Robert Balliot]

Based on this argument, native born property owners would have priority
access to library services.  Newcomers, renters, visitors, and homeless all
contribute less to the local economic model and would be less entitled to
services.

The public library movement was made possible by forward thinking
industrialists who recognized the value to society of providing free access
to a collective wealth of information resources.  I know of no Free library
locally that was not endowed or created by that process.  I know of no
local public library that was not supported by the Gates Foundation to
provide provide free access to computers and the Internet.

What may be unsustainable is the bureaucracy of libraries.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com



On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 9:44 AM, Michael Golrick <mgolrick at slol.lib.la.us>wrote:

> The fundamental issue at stake is how library service is paid for.
>
> Some libraries have "free" in their name, but let's face it, someone has
> to pay for it. Usually it is the local property tax payer (and sometimes
> the local sales tax). The roots of the public library movement are
> primarily local, and from a time when the population was generally less
> mobile (I am thinking here of the early to mid 1800s when the movement
> started). That mind set often colors how we do things today.
>
> There are some places where there is significant funding for local
> public library service (Ohio comes to mind), or where state funding
> provides a subsidy (however modest) for public libraries to provide
> service to state residents (Connecticut and Wisconsin are my personal
> experiences). But even the latter require that you have a card from your
> home town library.
>
> Do we need to rethink our model? Probably. Should we be as flexible as
> possible? Yes. But, as someone who had to worry about where the money
> comes from, I understand the concern that a well-funded library could be
> subsidizing neighboring communities which make a conscious choice to
> *not* provide library service because neighboring communities take up
> the slack. (Look at what is happening in places like Fitchburg MA.)
>
> Do I have the answer? No. All I can do is point to the underlying,
> fundamental issue.
>
> Michael
>
> Michael A. Golrick
>
> Head of Reference & Library Consultant
> 225/342.4917 [Note new phone number]
> State Library of Louisiana
>
> mailto:mgolrick at slol.lib.la.us
> http://www.state.lib.la.us/
>
>
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