Everything can be made digital. There’s no need for expensive buildings, utilities, etc for books that can all be accessed online. Almost everyone has a tablet or computer nowadays. You can literally buy a digital device for like $40 on eBay and libraries online could easily be accessed by all.
I just don’t understand the value of having physical libraries in regards to book rentals when the costs for thousands and thousands of physical libraries is astronomical and everything at a library could be found digitally. Why not just have all those books available online and save millions or potentially billions of dollars each year?
And even if we grant that libraries serve functions beyond just book borrowing, that can certainly be done in 2023 with far fewer locations with far smaller footprints. Basically, a few regional libraries that are similar to what you would think of as a large library now, then small community gathering spots with conference rooms, maybe some computer labs, and maybe a small selection of physical books for research.
I support total elimination of government libraries. But, short of that, certainly we can scale government libraries way back without any negative impact to society.