On July 21, Forbes ran an op-ed by economics professor Panos Mourdoukoutas arguing that Amazon should replace libraries. The article has since been deleted, but the backlash from librarians, teachers, writers, and bibliophiles has not quieted. Mourdoukoutas then doubled down on his argument, tweeting that libraries, which are partly funded by taxpayers, are not actually free — a point no one had suggested in the first place.
Those who are pro-library (a phrase so ridiculous I never thought I’d have to type it) are rushing to defend the necessity and importance of libraries. At Vox, Constance Grady detailed Why Public Libraries are Still Essential in 2018, writing that libraries “offer financial literacy training and job search assistance. They serve non-English-speaking immigrants. They serve incarcerated people and homeless people and housebound people.” In sum, libraries help marginalized community members who otherwise wouldn’t have access to life improvement resources and information.
https://electricliterature.com/why-conservatives-are-scared-of-libraries-4309dcf55ea2
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