Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that what this patron of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library says is true:
The Indianapolis library's performing arts, music and theater collections are first rate.
[ . . . ]
Sadly, I read that these valuable collections are in danger in Indy. Under the policy of library head Linda Mielke, important books and collections are being sold off. Much of the library's holdings are being replaced by commercial videos and DVD's to attract more patrons. This is a horrible practice. We should never play down to an audience, but rather educate and bring audiences up to a higher level of expectation. The dumbing down of America through our failing schools, the defunding of arts programming and the dismantling of our institutions is a travesty.
As the Internet takes over many of the public library's functions -- not just research, but, for example, a vastly more extensive collection of music -- what should the library's role be? If the library does nothing more than figure out what people want and put that on the shelves to lure them in, that doesn't seem like a very good use of my tax money. It's just duplicating what the marketplace already offers. With work proceeding on an expansion of our public library, this seems like a good issue to discuss here.
