Some people hold a view that public libraries should allocate their budget on books only, rather than on the advanced facilities such as software, video, or DVD. In my opinion, the functions of modern libraries can be more diversified with the development of our technology.
The hi-tech media brings lots of advantages and convenience to the readers. Firstly, with the assistance of software like information system, or self-service books borrowing and returning system, people are able to find any instruction of any book they want such as loan condition, exact location, series number and numbers left and most importantly, reduce the time spent on waiting in line and consulting the staffs. With this regard, fewer employers are needed in libraries, which save certain expenditure of labors’ payment. Furthermore, such technology mediums store far more content than paper books, as well as enable readers to search for updated references that are beneficial for their works. Apart from this, it is a novel way of learning through resources from videos and DVDs. These mediums strengthen our further understanding and provide several proper solutions for questions generated during our reading.
However, with the consideration of limited finance, some people’s proposal is reducing the introduction of technological equipments. Virtually, this idea is such an old-fashioned one because books are far from enough to meet people’s demand for knowledge. If a library is filled with books only, the public are not so eager to study there as in other multi-functional libraries.
In conclusion, public libraries should be subsidized by governments to the introduction and maintenance of modern facilities and have the collections of both the books and online sources.