In an article posted July 21 on Forbes.com, economics professor and newly minted enemy of bookworms far and wide Panos Mourdoukoutas posited what would become a very unpopular opinion piece: Amazon should replace local libraries to save taxpayers money.
So unpopular, in fact, Forbes removed the article Monday.
The Forbes contributor began by hailing the virtues of public libraries (book lending, public space, free Wi-Fi) as if said virtues have become extinct. He then proceeded to explain that, since public libraries are taxpayer-funded, moving them into commercial ownership would save taxpayers money. Besides, people have replaced the amenities of local libraries with technology like e-books and Netflix. Meanwhile, new public spaces like Starbucks offer Wi-Fi and a reasonably quiet place to work, according to the article.
As of Monday, the article had more than 202,000 views, and Mourdoukoutas’ original tweet of his piece had generated more than 7,500 replies (but only 242 retweets and 722 likes, a sure sign of a bad tweet according to the theory of the ratio). Of those replies, many are more well-liked than the original tweet and counter the author’s viewpoint with aplomb. A sampling:
Fun fact about getting books from Amazon: You have to pay money for them.
Anyway, I'm off to pick up my library holds.
— Gwen C. Katz (@gwenckatz) July 21, 2018
I was surprised by how poorly sourced this article was—lots of absurd claims with absolutely no evidence to back them up. If only you had access to a public resource staffed by information professionals who could help you find good, reputable sources…
Oh wait.
— Martha (@marthamatical) July 23, 2018
I went to my community library just yesterday. Children were reading books and playing. Senior citizens and young people were working on computers and many were reading books. All done without a Prime membership. Libraries are a part of the community fabric.
— AggLE92 (@AggLE92) July 23, 2018
Recent press release runs contrary to Forbes article
For a local counterpoint to Mourdoukoutas’ opinion piece, one need look no further than Oklahoma City’s own Metropolitan Library System. On July 17, the organization emailed a press release touting record-breaking numbers for its summer reading program (even before it ends July 31). By the numbers, the release indicates that the following statistics break previous records for the summer reading program:
- About 26,000 readers participated in total.
- Overall participation is about 12 percent higher than in 2017.
- Adult participation is 65 percent higher.
- Reading-goal completion (time spent reading) is also up substantially.
The MLS’s Twitter account also slyly got in on the backlash bandwagon in a reply to NonDoc contributor Ryan Baker:
— Metropolitan Library (@MetroLibraryOK) July 23, 2018
The summer reading program remains open for people who want to earn prizes by logging their reading hours (and you don’t need a Prime account, either). For more information or to register online, click here.
About the Metropolitan Library System
The Metropolitan Library System is a public library system serving Oklahoma County residents. MLS includes 19 library branch locations and is the largest library system in Oklahoma, serving anyone who lives, attends school or owns property in Oklahoma County. MLS circulates over 6 million materials each year.
