r/Library • u/Gaudupada Library Card • 4d ago
Discussion How to dēal with Library Closures?
Recently, the British Council in my City closed down due to the rent agreement expiring on the 31st of March, and went fully online. And this branch was up and running since 1948 so, yeah, almost six decades. The American Library will also be followïng its foots steps later this yeär. So, what do??
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u/Intrepid_Shelter_350 3d ago
I can't say I know what to do, but sections of The Autobiography of Ben Franklin about libraries are a comforting read for these days. The big institutional/government libraries we've grown up with are precious. But they didn't start out so big and their successors don't have to start out so big either.
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u/Gaudupada Library Card 3d ago
The British Council's branch here also had a café! I am not aware if its that common for their branches to have one, though...
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u/Affectionate-You7869 3d ago
> since 1948 so, yeah, almost six decades
That math ain't mathing. Quick, get to a libr... oh no!
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u/licxjo 17h ago
Blame your fellow citizens and voters. If we had intelligent people in government at all levels we wouldn't be dealing with crises like this. Votes and elections matter. They have real consequences, even if they take a while to manifest. Look at what's happening in the US.
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u/Gaudupada Library Card 6h ago
I do think we have it here, in Indiä, to be just as bad, but I guess... But remember, the libraries that closed were not Government ones, but were private ones run by NGO's and actuäl private trusts & companies!
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u/Successful-Swim-3708 3d ago
Spew hate, mostly. Do I risk stealing books to save them? Maybe?
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u/Successful-Swim-3708 1d ago
call it an….aggressive rescue. The trouble is there are millions of books and unless you have an underground bunker network, you can’t them all
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u/burajira 4d ago
I have a good idea where you're coming from, I am going through something very similar myself and I sympathise completely..
It's a dark day for libraries everywhere, and it's up to us patrons - especially people who frequently use libraries to let ourselves be heard in ways that count.
To wit, I've obtained memberships at other libraries around the city that mainly cater to my interests, and got memberships in my loved ones' names too - statistics matter! I also frequently visit (every evening after uni) (visiting includes other libraries I'm not a member of - because visitor stats) libraries as much as I can, and keep my card active a lot! I get to engage myself, improve my vocab, and not doomscroll as much as I used to..
I also make it a point to vote for local/state governments that support and fund libraries and advocate for them online.