If you read on, you will find facts with which you can rebut the egregious slanders and perfidious tidbits people toss out as “truths” at dinner parties or holiday gatherings.
“You Can Just Use Google.”
How many phone numbers do you have memorized? When was the last time you tried to recall something or formulate an answer without resorting to Google or other internet-assisted tools?
Setting aside the “Artificial Intelligence/AI” assisted answers that often contain errors or gross misrepresentations, interpreting traditional Google or internet search results still requires information literacy skills. These are skills many of us assume we have or take for granted. The public library is a place where anyone can learn basic information literacy skills. Lifelong learning is a key to prosperity, social inclusiveness and personal fulfillment. Throughout our lives, changes within work, personal, and community spheres force each of us to learn and adapt over time.
Library Tip: Confirm you are using the official website of a given government or business. Check whether there is a cost associated with a service before you do your work.
“All the books are gone!”
Your eyes do not deceive you. There are fewer physical books in the library than there were in the past. Many reference titles (think stamp/coin catalogs, directories, or encyclopedias) have been discontinued. Digital access to the same information is often more cost-effective for public libraries, and it increases accessibility, with 24/7 availability not tied to a specific location.
Popular fiction and non-fiction books are printed in fewer quantities, and more quickly circulate among library users in digital form. There are significant differences between physical books and e-books, no doubt. In today’s digital world, libraries must address the needs of lifelong learners with both electronic and physical information resources in all of the different ways people learn.
Library Tip: Local residents are eligible for library cards at all city and county libraries. More cards means more access. When more people use library cards to access print and digital materials, we can better respond to patterns of demand and use.
“No one reads anymore.”
At Richmond Public Library, checkouts of print materials, along with digital materials, increased every year during the past five years. In 2025, the total surpassed 1 million checkouts. The trend is upward on both physical and digital use of the public library.
Library Tip: If you can’t find an item in one format, consider trying it in another! Audiobooks are fun, and sometimes an e-book is fine for looking something up. Additionally, public library services like Kanopy and Hoopla often have content other streaming services lack. Make the public library’s apps part of your normal rotation!
“E-Books are replacing print books.”
Recent consolidation and decisions by corporate publishers continue to structure the availability of e-books. More often than not, digital content is treated the same way for public libraries as it is for individual consumers.
When we buy a print book for patrons, we have that book as long as it is returned and in usable condition. Digital content comes with a limited number of checkouts or a fee for access that does not guarantee ownership.
Library Tip: When you bought a DVD, it was yours and you could watch it as long as you had the hardware to do so. You could even not watch it for years–but it was still yours. Digital content and streaming lack the ownership rights and physical stability of other formats.
“The public library is only for certain types of people.”
The public library is one of the few truly free and universally accessible public spaces we have left in our country, along with public parks. The public library is a place of sanctuary and self-directed learning, where you do not have to buy anything or justify your presence to anyone. It is a shared learning and community space, intended for use by many different people for a wide variety reasons. It’s a public space, so the more people who use it, the better it gets.
Library Tip: The Library is uniquely positioned within our communities as a place where citizens can come together for civic engagement, challenging conversations, and problem-solving. Our libraries provide venues for the ready exercise of free speech and assembly, civic and artistic expression.
“You work at the library? Do you just sit and read all day?”
No! We do all kinds of things. If we wanted “to sit and read all day,” the public library would not be a good place to work. Public spaces require staffing and maintenance. The public library is about people, not books.
We answer research questions, recommend books, locate resources, read to children at storytimes, present musical performances and public lectures, teach basic literacy, show people how to use all kinds of electronic devices, organize historical archives, provide free internet access, and notarize documents.
Library Tip: We provide answers or assistance to any person who asks for it. The mission of the Richmond Public Library is to inform, enrich, and empower Richmond’s residents: to enrich lives and expand opportunities for all citizens by promoting reading and the active use of cultural, intellectual, and information resources through a dedication to excellence and professional service.
