Comments on: Are libraries about books or cool places to hang out? http://collectedmiscellany.com/2010/01/are-libraries-about-books-or-cool-places-to-hang-out/ seemingly random thoughts on books & ideas Thu, 17 May 2012 14:12:15 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dom http://collectedmiscellany.com/2010/01/are-libraries-about-books-or-cool-places-to-hang-out/comment-page-1/#comment-2611 Dom Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:10:08 +0000 http://collectedmiscellany.com/?p=3350#comment-2611 I couldn't agree more. The public library is a wonderful institution, but if we've reached the port where we have to use video games as a carrot to attract the kids... well, surely it defeats the whole purpose! I live in Italy, where the annual figures for the number of books read per person are a real sob story. The powers-that-be have tried all manner of solutions to incentivate people to read more (5-minute "a book a day" TV shows, and even a FREE paperback offered as compensation to rail passengers when trains are late!). But I'm glad to say that they've stopped short of anything so batty as video games at the local public library. I couldn’t agree more. The public library is a wonderful institution, but if we’ve reached the port where we have to use video games as a carrot to attract the kids… well, surely it defeats the whole purpose!

I live in Italy, where the annual figures for the number of books read per person are a real sob story. The powers-that-be have tried all manner of solutions to incentivate people to read more (5-minute “a book a day” TV shows, and even a FREE paperback offered as compensation to rail passengers when trains are late!). But I’m glad to say that they’ve stopped short of anything so batty as video games at the local public library.

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