@snder No they are just privatized in the netherlands. So its a paid service here and not free like in the USA

Ah yeah, I don't know any better haha! As a child I use to pay for it indeed until I lost a book one day I remember I needed to pay all my savings for that one lost book xD

@freemo

@freemo our libraries are still open to the public and heavily subsidized, though indeed to take books home you typically have to become a member (for roughly E5/month).

@raboof "public" doesnt mean"open to the public" it means paid for through a progressive system.

Yes you can walk in and read the books, and thats better than nothing. But the point is the serices adn costs is not even close int he Netherlands compared to in the USA.

When I deal with the Librarians for example in a Dutch Library they feel more like cash-register attendants than librarians. They wont help you do research or provide job search resources. I dont even think I saw computers with free internet access in the libraries.

The resources int he privatized libraries int he netherlands are really appalling compared to the resources offered in the USA and other countries with public libraries. Its just unless you've ever been to such a country and used their library system extensively you probably wont notice it.

@francistein I asked at my local library. I was told all libraries in the Netherlands are privatized. It isnt free like t is in the USA.

@freemo
This is fucking disgusting. I am shocked.

@SuperDicq Those are privatized, not public

@freemo All libraries are non-profit and use government subsidization. I'd call that public.

@SuperDicq I didnt get into the details of the privatization with them. But even if thats true its still very misleading. Dice it however you want the fact is when I rent books in the netherlands I have to pay (and usually quite a bit). It isnt a free public service as it is in the USA (never pay a penny unless its late or lost)

@freemo I guess you are right in that regard. They are not public as in owned by the state, they are just paid for by the state.

However we still call them public libraries (openbare bibliotheek). And they still fulfill all the tasks mentioned in your image, like programs for children after school, librarians helping you with research, internet access for the homeless and such.

@SuperDicq Well no, they really dont come anywhere close to the services in a USA library. Renting books isnt free, the level of time and help you will get from a librarian is minimal (they seem to act more like cashiers than librarians), they seem smaller, less well funded overall. Many libraries I've been to dont even have free computers/internet to access. I have to say having spent a decent amount of time in libraries in both the Netherlands and the USA that the privatization of libraries here in the netherlands show and they really dont live up to the potential and need they should be satisfying.

Just the fees to take out a bunch of books alone (usually no limit in the USA or very high limit at no cost) is astronomical for a poor person who is likely to need the service.

@ErikaDesign No, they way the librarians talked about it it seemed it may have just been a few years back, but I'm not sure. But they were quite clear they were privatized.

@freemo ah never mind- public vs private . I understand now. Still getting the hang of reading reply’s first 😁

@ErikaDesign The quality of libraries here are kind of lacking sadly, but you do have them, but you have to pay (commercial) too!