Libraries Under Capitalism

Our public libraries, our literary commons, are gradually being enclosed -- sealed off to the public by a series of acts of our government -- local, state and federal -- as it bows to the dictates and priorities of corporations. The public library is one of the few settings where people can enter for free, access materials for free and stay without being expected to buy anything. The value of public libraries not only exists in the materials they lend and the non-commercial model they embody, but in the commons that they represent: A public area that offers Americans liberated intellectual spaces, the potential for community dialogues and organizing.  Read more.