I'm guessing most of the people here have not been to a local public library in a long time. They have basically become daytime homeless shelters. That is the reason they are no longer attractive for philanthropists.
Perhaps the libraries in your community share this property, but they certainly don't in mine. What communities are you referencing in this comment?
Mine have extensive multimedia selections available for access, music rooms with instruments for practice, 3d printers for prototyping, and a wealth of research staff who will help you find specific information that you need. All of the ones in my local area are well attended by the public, at least when I've gone.
With the deep budget cuts and transition to online (vs face to face) services, libraries have become many poor people's only access to their government.
This was widely reported in my area last time our trogs wanted to cut our library budgets (even more).
Holy crap what communities are you referencing? 90210? I'm in the south so basically any public library within walking distance of a metro area. As I said in my comment most people on HN are seriously out of touch with what the majority of the population experiences.
Depends where you live. Most of the suburban and rural library I have been to are what you would expect with zero bums. My local ones are quasi co-working spaces with tons of telecommuters and even a coffee shop inside.
Rural yes. There are not enough shelters or public assistance to support the homeless population. I imaging your mileage may vary based on the specific metro area. I'm specifically referring to the southeast.
Also at least Chicago as well my cousin is a librarian there and constantly has stories about how her job is essentially running a halfway house.
Mine have extensive multimedia selections available for access, music rooms with instruments for practice, 3d printers for prototyping, and a wealth of research staff who will help you find specific information that you need. All of the ones in my local area are well attended by the public, at least when I've gone.