Libraries Can’t Be Obsolete

Eric Klinenberg writes in the New York Times:

Libraries are an example of what I call “social infrastructure”: the physical spaces and organizations that shape the way people interact. Libraries don’t just provide free access to books and other cultural materials, they also offer things like companionship for older adults, de facto child care for busy parents, language instruction for immigrants and welcoming public spaces for the poor, the homeless and young people.

These days, I am using our wonderful public libraries more than ever. Most books, Vietnamese in particular, I have read were checked out from Fairfax libraries. Libraries cannot be obsolete. They provide crucial resources for our mind and spirit. I would do anything to save them.