Spent 2 hours at the public library downtown and noticed something weird

I was at the main branch on 5th Avenue last Tuesday killing time between appointments, and I realized almost nobody was reading actual books... they were all on their phones or laptops. Even the kids section had like 3 families but 6 screens out. Has anyone else noticed libraries turning into co-working spaces with free wifi?

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wren2173mo ago

Oh yeah I noticed this exact thing last week at my local branch... walked in to grab a mystery novel and the whole reading room felt like a Starbucks. People with their laptops spread out everywhere, taking up the big tables, some even on video calls whispering real loud. I sat down near the magazine rack and counted maybe 2 people actually holding a paper book in the whole 45 minutes I was there. The librarians looked kind of annoyed too, like they wanted to ask people to be quiet but couldn't really do anything about it. It's just weird because libraries used to be this quiet escape for readers, not a free office space you know...

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richardh443mo ago

Actually it's kind of interesting because a lot of libraries these days are intentionally shifting to be community hubs instead of just quiet book warehouses. They're trying to stay relevant in a digital age, so they encourage the laptop crowd even if it rubs the old school readers the wrong way. Not saying it's right or wrong, but the librarians probably aren't annoyed they're probably just following the new playbook.

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