Not to be a totally wet blanket, but I often hear a lot of "it didn't used to be like this" or "the purpose of libraries" thrown out in discussions like this.

Carnegie's vast wealth single-handedly forced the idea of libraries that weren't just for rich university students, privileged religious orders or the mind-bendingly affluent. He loved books and wanted to share them, which is very noble. But he also had no room for slackers. To quote wikipedia, quoting, Carnegie:

> Carnegie believed in giving to the "industrious and ambitious; not those who need everything done for them, but those who, being most anxious and able to help themselves, deserve and will be benefited by help from others."

This vision of the public library as public welfare's physical manifestation is a modern invention that is not anchored in history. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be. My partner was a librarian for a long time and loved helping those in need. But let's make sure we're accurately remembering the past, not designing a convenient past to justify the budgets to do the work we see we need done in the present.