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The Netherlands doesn't even have public libraries anymore. It really is shameful!
Oh, are they closed?
@snder No they are just privatized in the netherlands. So its a paid service here and not free like in the USA
@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.
