Funding for Libraries

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous American poet, said that “The student has his Rome, his Florence, his whole glowing Italy, within the four walls of his library. He has in his books the ruins of an antique world and the glories of a modern one.” Throughout history, libraries have provided people with a place to learn and develop. In fact, in ancient Egypt, the invading armies burned the Library of Alexandria because they knew the importance of the library to the people’s morale. Also, when an oppressive regime rises to power, one of their first goals deals with libraries, as they know that only by cutting off the knowledge that the libraries provide can they successfully establish their own propaganda. But with the current economic crisis, the government has to cut spending, and many of the new budget revisions negatively impacts public library systems. However libraries have a vital role in our society, so the government should not cut these programs’ funding.

Contrary to many people’s view of libraries, the library has more resources than just books. Like how animals have to adapt to their surroundings to survive, the library has evolved with the advancement of information technologies. Some people may think of libraries as obsolete relics in society, and therefore do not need funding from the government, but the truth could not differ more. According to the American Library Association (ALA), more than 66 percent of American libraries have expanded their digital offerings in the past few years (Karas). Computers, digitalized databases, and even files for e-books have become standard issue at public libraries. As the digital revolution continues and shows no sign of stopping, libraries have taken advantage of the better t...

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