Saturday, 10 July 2021
quote [ Maybe the solution is to fight for library services in underserved neighborhoods and expect less from Amazon-inclined households in the first place. Radical librarians have other complaints about Little Free Library: the colonialism implied in sending cast-off books around the world, the eyebrow-raising suggestion in Little Free Library’s literature that “stewards” not seed their exchanges with political or religious texts. ]
Radical Canadian librarian arguments from 2017. Thumb is university degree distribution in Canada.
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mechavolt said @ 2:13pm GMT on 10th Jul
[Score:1 Underrated]
Public services should be public goods. I am always extremely wary of whenever a philanthropic endeavor becomes powerful enough in its own right to essentially set its own public policy. Charities/churches helping the world can be good at the micro level, but what right do you have to decide who gets helped and how at the macro level, other than just being disgustingly rich? That's a decision that belongs to the people.
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gendo666 said @ 10:32pm GMT on 10th Jul
[Score:1 Insightful]
I've seen quite a scattering of little libraries in my travels across Ontario. The contents are always a mixed bag but always interesting. Not necessarily "take home interesting" but the assortments are always different. I have also found entire series on DVD (from Elementary to anime) in various stages of completeness. - and put my own in as well. I disagree also with the statement about these being found in areas of higher economic status and have seen them in small towns as well as cottage country (because when you are in a cottage sometimes you need a new book) as well as set up at filling stations/convenience stores in the literal middle of nowhere. I have also seem them smashed all to hell and have repainted and attempted to fix a favorite one because I liked both the books that ended up there as well as the design (a TARDIS) (which was later smashed sadly.) I admit the neighborhood I live in is of "lower economic advantage" and knowing (being aware of) some of the shitheads in the area as well as the packs of stupid children have been genuinely surprised that the one near my house has not been ruined. Whoever set this one it up also thoughtfully has a bottle of hand sanitizer on a cord and tops it up as well. I have found some crazy stuff in these (including abandoned sketch books) and in some cases have kept them. In others I've simply read or looked through the books and returned them. Sure there are more institutionalized facilities but here you can actually "take ownership" of a book rather than "borrow" if you choose and that's a big thing. And, if you have something you either want to share or even just want to get rid of - well this is far better than throwing it out. |
TimmoW said[1] @ 3:46pm GMT on 11th Jul
[Score:1 Underrated]
Do I need to sign up for Bloomberg to read this? Can we get s full text copy?
EDIT: Nope, just looks like the mobile interface is designed to block people who don't sign up. Can read fine on my desktop. Also, your thumb is TORONTO. Not Canada. |
Paracetamol said[1] @ 6:40pm GMT on 11th Jul
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gendo666 said @ 1:34am GMT on 12th Jul
I think this article (and map) goes a long way in IGNORING those "little libraries" that are set up by people who just want to share books.
- you know those who don't buy rubber stamped carbon copy clones. Perhaps more of an investiture in the ones that are not part of a nebulous "fellowship" should have been made and not jumping to assumptions of the stewardship of these. |