Some people think that the government should provide free public libraries in every town, while others think this is a waste of money because people can get access to information on the Internet. Discuss both these views and give your opinion

The advent of the

internet

has made a significant change in how people live, even

libraries

nowadays could be digitized. Opinion on whether public

libraries

should be opened freely in each town by the government or be fully replaced by the

Internet

is largely divided.

While

many endorse the plus point of using solely electrical

resources

, I am more convinced of the government's uncharged public

libraries

provision being ubiquitous. Advocates of the

internet

-based library could base their argument on utilitarian beliefs. It could be said that the government is dutiful to present the mainstream common interest and welfare to the majority, in which the freedom to seek knowledge, stay informed, and expand one’s cognitive ability is included. Electrical

resources

and online

libraries

seem to easily address these concerns by providing a mutual server giving free communal accessibility to newspapers, magazines, urban archives, etc. with just a click of a “Login” button.

This

solution is said to be cost-effective and convenient compared to establishing public

libraries

in every town, yet, it is a huge fallacy since building a public online service would not save any more money, if not, more expensive. Some may

also

claim that

internet

-based

libraries

give users unlimited

access

to the intelligence of the word, thereby, it would improve the reading habit of citizens

overall

.

However

, the personal reading preference among residents is not similar, especially among the elders,who prefer paper-based materials,

not to mention

the computer literacy and affordability of private

internet

.

Therefore

, at least for now, shifting toward a completely digital national library system is not an appropriate approach. In my view, the functions of public

libraries

are beyond the mere channel for accessing information. First, public

libraries

today serve as multifunctional social venues, offering a wide range of services

such

as physical space that foster community engagement, intellectual exploration, and lifelong learning. To illustrate, in Vietnam, the proportion of juveniles fascinated by reading books is minuscule,

hence

in order to proliferate young readers, public

libraries

often held “book camp” or “book workshop” in summer vacation to stimulate reading culture.

Second,

the approach of using taxpayers’ money to build communal

libraries

is desirable for promoting civil equality, since not everyone has the means or ability to

access

the

internet

.These

resources

can benefit individuals who may not have

access

to

such

facilities at home or in their local communities. In conclusion,

although

the

Internet

offers convenience and vast amounts of information, I reckon that public

libraries

offer unique advantages

such

as community engagement,

access

to physical

resources

and promoting equality.