Re: [ARSCLIST] Net music piracy 'does not harm record sales'

[Don Cox <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 07/04/04, vdalhart wrote:
>    Our small city has one of the best public libraries I have ever
> been in. It is financed by a small tax on the five school districts in
> the area. The tax is permanent and does not have to be voted on each
> year. I have had a library card since I moved here in 1971. It just
> built a branch in the southern part of the city where many new
> apartments and condos have appeared over the past few years. And it
> gets a lot of business. It is open until 9 PM 4 days a week and 9 to 5
> on Friday and Saturday.

You are very lucky. In the UK, the public libraries are funded out of
the general pot of local taxation, and the pressure on spending for
schools, police, etc means that libraries get less and less. (The local
taxes go up much faster than inflation, but this doesn't seem to help.)

The libraries then become less attractive, and a vicious spiral sets in.

Part of the problem is the vast amounts spent on computers.

Regards
--
Don Cox
doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx