Save The Library (or #savethelibrary)

A heartfelt plea from McSweeneys.

Contrary to popular belief, the job of a librarian has absolutely nothing to do with books; the job of a librarian is to help people find information, and information comes in several different forms. It could be a student writing a term paper needing to know how to find information on the term Volkerwanderung, or who simply wants to find the name of the latest Grisham—but more than likely, at least in recent years, it's the unemployed worker needing information on how to write a résumé or find a job.

...

It's not uncommon to see every computer (over sixty) taken at my branch, and only one person to help everyone—on top of this there's usually a line several people deep of people who need non-computer help; obviously you cannot give people the help they deserve with this ratio. If you've been to a library lately, then you probably recognize this as a common tale.

If you don't believe me, then visit your local library and ask staff how the branch has been affected; I imagine they'll have a lot to tell you.