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Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

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Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#21

Post by melling »

_jal wrote: post #12

This is poorly thought out and edited, because I have to run, but I thought it worth posting. I've been thinking more about libraries lately. I really think it is time to reinvigorate and expand them. Pretty sure I'm preaching to the converted here about the power of information; I think what some folks miss is just how incredibly valuable libraries are. No, they aren't a panacea, but they are a cheap source of immen…

4% of the world’s population lives in the United States. How about something a little more far reaching?

[Update]

The author is not talking about a global project.

“Hidden in plain sight, the local libraries of America are patiently waiting for your attention”

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#23

Post by arkitaip »

chickenfries wrote: post #18
graphitezepp wrote: post #15

I would much rather billionaire types take on large issues that governments don't want to touch, like space flight or specific diseases in foreign countries, than something already in service like libraries. Maybe I just have a bias due to having a library just up the street from where I live currently, but I have never not had access to an adequate library in my life time, and only see room for marginal diminishing…

Visit a library in a low-income area (where people need them the most) and see the kinds of computers people use to hunt for jobs, do their homework, etc. I've been to a library that was running windows 2000 on TWO ancient Dells with with CRT monitors in 2015. And the two computers they had were being used by adults and students. There is so much to be gained from improving libraries.

The libraries in my city offer legal advice, business advice and much more beyond storing books. Heck, the majority of books are put in storage in order to free up physical space for doing homework, computers, study rooms, etc.

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#24

Post by maxxxxx »

pravinva wrote: post #10

Is non fossil fuel energy research too hard to be funded? Gates and Bezos etc have funded just about a billion. Why not 20 billion

I was wondering if someone would put big money into fusion if we could make it happen sooner. My understanding is that the physics are reasonably well understood and now it's mainly a difficult engineering problem. I wonder if ITER could happen sooner with enough money.

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#25

Post by tracker1 »

graphitezepp wrote: post #15

I would much rather billionaire types take on large issues that governments don't want to touch, like space flight or specific diseases in foreign countries, than something already in service like libraries. Maybe I just have a bias due to having a library just up the street from where I live currently, but I have never not had access to an adequate library in my life time, and only see room for marginal diminishing…

Libraries serve a very important function, preserving and distributing knowledge. Yes, internet access can mitigate some of the needs, but even then many use libraries to access the internet.

Though an interesting idea would be to combine the roles of a library with a traditional pub house.

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#26

Post by icebraining »

melling wrote: post #21
_jal wrote: post #12

This is poorly thought out and edited, because I have to run, but I thought it worth posting. I've been thinking more about libraries lately. I really think it is time to reinvigorate and expand them. Pretty sure I'm preaching to the converted here about the power of information; I think what some folks miss is just how incredibly valuable libraries are. No, they aren't a panacea, but they are a cheap source of immen…

4% of the world’s population lives in the United States. How about something a little more far reaching? [Update] The author is not talking about a global project. “Hidden in plain sight, the local libraries of America are patiently waiting for your attention”

Why not fund libraries all over the world?

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#27

Post by maxxxxx »

melling wrote: post #5

“So far, you’ve concentrated on things that might benefit our distant successors” ... “space trave, cancer treatments, AI” I would hope we’re going to make large strides in these in his lifetime. If we could effectively funnel more into R&D sooner, we’d all see the benefits sooner. Cancer(s), for example, might be cured in say 2060 with our current effort, but if we solved the problem by 2030, hundreds of millions wo…

Will cancer ever be solved? Isn't cancer many different problems that got the same label?

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#28

Post by tracker1 »

melling wrote: post #21
_jal wrote: post #12

This is poorly thought out and edited, because I have to run, but I thought it worth posting. I've been thinking more about libraries lately. I really think it is time to reinvigorate and expand them. Pretty sure I'm preaching to the converted here about the power of information; I think what some folks miss is just how incredibly valuable libraries are. No, they aren't a panacea, but they are a cheap source of immen…

4% of the world’s population lives in the United States. How about something a little more far reaching? [Update] The author is not talking about a global project. “Hidden in plain sight, the local libraries of America are patiently waiting for your attention”

And we all know that only the United States can have libraries.

Re: Bezos should put his billions in public libraries

#30

Post by sddfd »

Why would anyone think libraries are important in 2017?

If things keep getting digitalized at the current speed, all knowledge of the world will be accessible online in our lifetime.

Unless you believe that a large percentage of citizens will not be able to afford a device for accessing the internet, libraries are a waste of money.

Oh and since librarians were mentioned, if AI keeps advancing, we will be able to have a conversation with a search engine within 30 years. So who needs a librarian?

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