It’s Time to Take a Hard Look at Public Libraries

Marc Joffe

Like mom and apple pie, the public library seems so intrinsically good that it should be beyond criticism. But like any institution that consumes millions of tax dollars, public libraries should not be free from scrutiny. And the facts are that neighborhood libraries have largely outlived their usefulness and no longer provide value for the public money spent on them.

Consider the situation in Northern California, for example. In this fiscal year, four Bay Area counties (Alameda...