re: Libraries... worthwhile venture or thing of the past?

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A huge waste of money IMO when most books can be found on e-readers and research is mostly done on the Internet

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It all depends on the community IMO. The one in my neighborhood probably doesn't get as much use as the neighborhood I work in that has a larger portion of community members without regular internet access. It also serves as a community hub for meetings and they have some pretty good after-school programs as well as read-aloud programs for younger kids. It's become one of our biggest non-district resources when it comes to our kids filling out high school applications that have gone completely online as well. And in a shitty neighborhood it gives some kids a place to go.

Some libraries are adapting to the internet age by offering two week checkouts for books on eReaders as long as you're a member (I do this pretty often for short reads). And frankly, some texts (depending on your library) are better in their tactile form. Especially historical ones if your library has access to that.

I still think they're a worthwhile venture. Anything that helps educate a community is a worthwhile venture. I don't see them as a thing of the past as long as they're able to adapt to the move away from paperback books.