[jacquesm]

> one can debate the morality of funding book clubs with taxpayers' money

You could debate it but I would find it hard to find better uses of that money if it is spent on those would otherwise not be able to afford such things.

[yobbo]

Libraries are already free. The money here is supposedly used for coffee (or whatever) while meeting and discussing books.

[jacquesm]

Literacy goes a lot further than just access to a mountain of books, having the opportunity to meet with your peers and others to discuss those books makes it a much richer experience than reading alone. It can also serve as a reality check on some of the stuff that you find in books, and can help by pointing to other interesting reading material. Books are great, books plus other people is gold.

[nothing0001]

I find a little sad that many people could change books and sharing experiences with others with using tools such as chatgpt. Those tools could be used to not discuss things like education and guide people to follow the agenda of the fine-tunnings authorities.

[chmod775]

For countries where pre-school to university education is funded with taxpayers money and citizens have a right to education whenever they please, I don't think a book club is going to break the camel's back.

I'm speaking as someone who has been enrolled in university for most of his adult life, attending whatever I feel like, while paying for it with my taxes. Public libraries, schools, and universities here have all sorts of clubs and events as part of their program.

[Maken]

Their purpose is different. Libraries are for book storage, book clubs are for dissemination.