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[–] 56 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Items at some libraries:

  • Kill-a-Watt voltage meter
  • Radon detector
  • Telescope
  • Microscope with slides
  • Board games
  • Cooking appliances
  • T-Mobile-powered, infini-data hotspot devices that can fit in your pocket and provide Internet
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  • [–] 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    People are baffled when I say I use the library. They're brainwashed by big tech to think that "no one uses that now" . Pretty frustrating since its the only 3rd space left and people are trying to get it shut down (why should MY taxes pay for that!! We have INTERNET ).

    I hate people.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago

    I think "borrow" has a bad connotation in the US. Like: "beg, borrow or steal". But people should remember that it's theirs, they paid for it with their taxes, they're just sharing it with others.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Interestingly enough, not really happening in my country. You're sorta expected to get the mandatory reading books from a library in school... And later on in university, it's a place to hang out and study together.

    Maybe adults outside of academia don't use them much (I don't), but I think people generally see the value in them.

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  • [–] 31 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I collect library cards like other people collect Pokémon cards. The more I get, the more audiobooks are available to me through apps like Libby.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I have five library cards with 3 subs to Kanopy and 2 to Hoopla. I actually prefer Libby to anna’s archive or other alternative methods. If anyone has sneaky methods to get more…share them please!

    For anyone who cares here is a list of the largest e-book lenders that I found when I was library cards hunting. If you are in one of these areas—get a library card!

    The top 10 ebook and digital audiobook-circulating library systems for 2020:

    1. Toronto Public Library
    2. Los Angeles Public Library
    3. King County Library System (WA)
    4. National Library Board Singapore
    5. New York Public Library
    6. Multnomah County Library (OR)
    7. Seattle Public Library
    8. Hennepin County Library (MN) - 228/63
    9. Harris County Public Library (TX)
    10. Calgary Public Library (AB, Canada)

    The top 5 ebook and digital audiobook-circulating consortia and shared collections:

    1. Wisconsin Public Library Consortium 126k total
    2. The Ohio Digital Library
    3. Greater Phoenix Digital Library
    4. Tennessee READS
    5. Digital Downloads Collaboration (OH)
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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago*

    To add to this:

    • Mid-Continent Library in the Kansas City Metro has the biggest selection that I’ve seen in this area (Kansas and Missouri). Idk about Wichita or St Louis.

    • You can sign up for the KC Library, Johnson County Library, and Mid-Continent Library card online if you live in an area it covers.

    • You can get a Johnson County Library card if you don’t live in that area, but you have to go in person to sign up.

    • There are also quite a few libraries around the US that will let you sign up regardless of where you live if you make a donation.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago

    If you happen to live in Berlin, Vöbb's digital subscription is 10 euros year but it gets you things like statista and pressreader that would would cost hundreds of euros per month combined.

    And if you don't it's possible your local library also has a similar offer.

    A well run library is an amazing thing.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago

    My local library is right next to a couple schools and, in the afternoons, functions as a really wholesome third space for a fair number of kids. Both free and hopefully inspires several of them to get into reading as a hobby.

    Even if I didn't use the library, that would be an excellent use of my tax dollars.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    A lot of them come with free access to Kanopy or Hoopla which are streaming services with movies and TV shows that you log into with your library card

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  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago

    Some even have 3D printers

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  • Shout out to my local library. Manchester Central Library.

    Even has pianos you can play with headphones.

    1.6M+ book and volumes. Also holds our records for Manchester going back to like the 1200s. Truly beautiful place and great to just wonder around.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I made once the dumb mistake of getting my library card right before moving to another city, and never ever checked if it's valid or repurposable since (three years now).

    Well, time to fix that!

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Yeah do that! They are free and I have a collection of library cards from every place I have lived. You never know when you will be on the run from the law and need to, I don’t know, read a book or something.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    Libraries are theft. A person reads a book and the same book is given to another person! Libraries, on average steal [arbitrary number] from publishers.

    • Post sponsored by Elsevier

    \s

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    Someone reposting this like a year ago actually was what got me to get mine. Now I use Libby and get audiobooks etc from the library, it’s pretty sweet and was all free.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago*

    For some reason all 5 libraries in distance of me close at 6pm and I work until 9pm so yeah.

    Register online if you can.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Some places will issue library cards if you work in the city but don't live there just as an fyi.

    Some systems let you check out and sync to an e-reader too, kobos work with my system but I think there's other ways to get then on there.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Our local library aside from books provides spaces for making things

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Our library was an awesome source independent and foreign films. They were perfect shape bc so underused. We took out 10 at a time.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] -5 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    "rent CD"

    You mean... "borrow"? "Rent" implies payment.

    Also. Who the fuck is borrowing CD's, what is this, 1999?

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    Physical media is coming back because owning is better than licensing.

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  • [–] -3 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    I'll believe it when I see it.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    Walk into any music store. Or bookstore. Or a Half Price Books, which sells both. People are sick of paying for the capricious hands of streaming to tell them what they're allowed to watch or read or listen to on any given day.

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  • [+] -6 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Walk into a specialised sex-store for a very specific fetish, and you'll see lots of people with that very specific fetish.

    I don't think that would mean that the fetish is taking over society.

    Yes, I know that some people value physical media. But most don't. Most people value convenience. That's what enables enshittification. If everyone was actually as sensitive to corporate bullshit as the people who you're talking about, corporate bullshit wouldn't survive.

    Most people are idiots. What can you do?

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    I know that some people value physical media. But most don't. Most people value convenience.

    I'm not talking about "everyone in the world," I'm talking about "more people than ten years ago."

    I recognize that the internet is allergic to context and nuance, but seriously.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    I’m not talking about “everyone in the world,” I’m talking about “more people than ten years ago.”

    Yes, I understand what you mean. I still don't think you could find numbers to support that. While some of the people who are interested or even aware of the ideas that we're talking about, sort of media erasure and who actually even owns the thing you're watching, I'd argue those people are a tiny minority. I'd argue that for instance, my grandma and dad passing away in the last few but I've gained a niece and nephew, the population of my family has stayed essentially the same, but now there's two people less who have ever even listened to physical media, let alone still owning it.

    So I'm just... politely disagreeing with you. I understand I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty confident I'm not. I think the niche is smaller than the change in attitudes towards technology. Hell, 10 years ago quite a lot of people my age still had DVD's, but that's way less common in the general population now. Movie buffs, maybe, but I don't know any anymore who actually collect movies. Or well, I suspect I do, but like people I use to be friends 10-15 years ago. Or like technically probably still am, depending on your definition.

    Anyway, that's the way I see it and unless we get facts on the table from somewhere, I don't see how we could agree in this.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    So I'm just... politely disagreeing with you.

    Honestly...this is the first time in a decade or more that I've actually believed anyone online who said something like that. Hey, you're cool. I like this sort of disagreement.

    Anyway, that's the way I see it and unless we get facts on the table from somewhere, I don't see how we could agree in this.

    "We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No bad faith arguments, no logical fallacies...fact against fact alone."

    "You mean...you'll put down your anecdotal data and I'll put down my cherry-picked personal experiences and we'll try and convince each other of our points like civilized people?"

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Nice reply, thanks.

    But yeah, I don't really mind if I'm right or wrong in this, this is just what I know I believe at this point.

    I could be assuaded to believe that the use of physical media has increased, given proper figures from something relevant.

    But I'm unsure what numbers those would be. Sales? Sales of new works, used works? Production of new physical media?

    I don't know.

    I'm not too bothered by this, I just like to discuss things.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Same. I think sales figures for new works could provide a partial picture, but not anything definitive. The only thing I found in my short research (I like doing big research binges, but don't have time for it today) was this article, which is far from a mic-drop but it sure is interesting.

    I just like to discuss things.

    Same. Sorry for jumping down your throat earlier. I assumed a tone of you that you weren't using.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Hmm.. I wonder where they're taking they're projections from, since there could be a little bit of bias involved. If it's from a relatively short period which coincides with say, a lot of inflation, it'd only make sense that the second hand book market would increase, because books are a commodity that even the poorest people may have hanging about, some of which might actually sell rather well.

    I know that around covid and a bit later I certainly took a lot of my books down to the second hand shop to see whether I could score some money for food and booze. I did too. Turns out Discworld novels have an extremely high turnover. Especially the English versions. He didn't care for GRRM or Douglas Adams that much, but Pratchett sells like hotcakes I gather. (I do live in a university city.)

    ..rry for ju...

    No wörries. Having been on the internet a while I'm rather used to people taking me as being "mad" when I write long comments in a very neutral tone. It's a feature of humanity. We can't help but to imagine a tone of voice to something we read (unless you're reading like a manual, and even then, you're gonna like read it just in a neutral tone in your head), and usually when it's anything that remotely disagrees with us, we assume a negative tone.

    I do it all the time as well. It can be helped though. By, I assume, decades of meditation and dedication to a way of thinking and managing yourself. Or optionally, a midrange recreational dose of MDMA/LSD/psilocybin or other serotonergic substances. (The former is more permanent, the latter only lasting for like a few months or up to a year.)

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    there could be a little bit of bias involved

    Absolutely. Even putting aside the possibilities for regional and temporal bias, they're a literary society; they're quite likely to strongly play up some minor noise in both directions--either to paint themselves as a dying breed in need of saving, or as an ascendant force worth watching. They're very unlikely to have no opinion one way or the other.

    Interesting that Pratchett sold well but Adams didn't. I can kind of see Martin, since that was right after the TV show shambled to a halt ignobly, but Pratchett and Adams feel like they're cut from the same cloth, particularly as far as people who would enjoy their work go. Maybe there was a bump associated with the Good Omens show?

    Anyway. I appreciate your gracefulness. I try intentionally to not be that kind of guy online, so it stung particularly because I felt like I was betraying myself. Don't get on social media on a bad day, kids.

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  • [+] -30 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    'makes government fund them more' .. 'rent cds and games and movies'

    (So, they're socialist BS that destroyed legit rental businesses with taxpayer money.)

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Ah yes! It was libraries that killed my good ol’ hometown Blockbuster Video. It certainly could not have been market forces reacting to technological innovation to birth a multitude of subscription rental businesses available through increasingly faster internet connections.

    Curse you libraries! You killed all the bookstores. And record shops too! Is there no end to your socialist devilry‽ Everyday I 🙏 thank the gods 🙏 that we haven’t socialized education. Such a thing would destroy the livelihoods of the great tutors who personally taught each and every one of us our letters and numbers.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I refuse to believe that this is not a really weak troll.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Yeah, and hopefully their streaming services can put the little hometown Netflix out of business… and don’t get me started on their streaming services competing with ‘lil Bezos’ Audible…

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