[abc3]

It's worth noting that libraries do a lot more than circulate books[0]. For many people, we're the place they use the internet, or where they print things out when they need a printer, or the place where they rent movies, or borrow CDs, or study, or attend programs, or get together with their friends to play videogames or tabletop games. Or even where they learn to use 3D printers: search on libraries and makerspaces.

My point is, libraries need room for a lot more than books. We love books; that's pretty much a prerequisite for becoming a librarian, but we do a lot more for the people in your community, which is why libraries hire architects who understand that libraries fulfill different needs for different people.

[0] http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2014/how-well-are...

[specialist]

With reduced office hours and moving services online, our public libraries have become the primary access to government for undeserved demographics. Our librarians are now also doubling as social workers.

Kind of pisses me off.