Benjamin Franklin established the first lending library so that people in Philadelphia could have access to written knowledge, in an age before online searching and ordering. Andrew Carnegie established 1,689 free libraries throughout the United States.
Yet here in Vancouver, we are back to being without free access to our libraries while grocery stores, nail salons, and liquor stores are open. What is wrong with this picture? A library allows anyone to research a topic without anyone else looking over their shoulder. I can read a book by Thomas Jefferson and no one will tell me that the book has been taken off YouTube or Facebook or marked as “misinformation.”
If libraries are no longer essential, then perhaps they should become subscription services and those who are interested can pay to join and use them. When that happens, all of the tax monies used to support our libraries would be available to be returned to taxpayers or used for more “essential” services. Authorities say “libraries cannot be open”: Question authority!
