Librarians are dangerous

Posted by mooreds 4/19/2025

Librarians are dangerous(bradmontague.substack.com)

698 points | 643 commentspage 4

StefanBatory 4/19/2025|

Because I saw others here speak about their libraries, I will too.

I'm Polish, I live in a big city. My libraries around, are, to say it mildly, awful. At best, they'll contain old school readings, some history book from communist period and old tech manuals (old as in, Win 95 guides or for tech that is no longer used).

I really envy Americans in this aspect.

ravetcofx 4/19/2025|

sounds like underfunding issues, but they're trying their best with what they have. And as others have said, they are important community spaces for studying, meetups etc.

StefanBatory 4/19/2025||

not in here - they aren't a place for that :( at best, events for primary/secondary school, and that is it

and yup, they are certainly underfunded and i don't envy them, i do believe that most of them are trying to do as much as they can. :(

edverma2 4/19/2025||

Why do people speak online as if the library is a place anyone goes to? I understand some people still go to libraries, but this cannot be considered a commonplace activity like it once was. Librarians do not hold any meaningful position in society because so few people come in contact with them.

nathan_compton 4/19/2025||

Do you have kids? Virtually every parent I know (myself included) visits the library at least once a week with their kid. In my community the library is very well trafficked.

Der_Einzige 4/19/2025||

This sounds like some upper middle class white Boston shit. This is 1000% not the experience of most parents in America, especially the browner and poorer parts of America. Good luck getting one library attendance a year from most American children…

badc0ffee 4/19/2025||

Are these the same American children who graduate high school without anything above basic literacy?

mpalmer 4/19/2025||

Kind of the point of the post, isn't it?

kleiba 4/19/2025||

On my campus, almost all institutional libraries have been closed down over the course of the last 20 years. There's still the main campus library and I went there quite a few times to work in peace and quiet. However, I have to admit that I never needed any of their books.

cryptoegorophy 4/19/2025||

This works if you actually have dangerously good librarians. I had one that could remember every single book location but she was extremely rude and treated everyone as a mentally challenged. Her daughter lived under severe dictatorship with no confidence and self esteem.

aj7 4/20/2025||

In the stacks of the Main Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, if you went to 612.6, you saw that a librarian had direct view of that aisle from her desk. But she was often not at that desk, so timing was involved.

phibz 4/20/2025||

Simple: information is power. Why else would so many go so far to control it.

Also librarians are some of the most overeducated and underpaid people out there. Thank you for what you do.

casey2 4/19/2025||

I really dislike fiction where the author tries to convince you it's real but has so many holes that it reads like more like a hastily conceived debate premise than a real work.

In reality libraries are one of the most conservative classes of people, especially odd the distinction since I'm sure there are plenty of progressive minded librarians. Doesn't help that the average age gap between a reader and their librarian is greater than average life expectancy.

booleandilemma 4/20/2025||

New York City libraries are a cross between homeless shelters and daycare centers. And they're closed on Sundays.

murrayb 4/20/2025|

Felt sure that this thread would reference Terry Pratchett, he was a man who understood the danger of librarians.

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