Libraries are also becoming places where the community can gather. In my hometown the reduction in actual book circulation has meant an increase in available, reservable communal spaces for local clubs, teams, and other organizations.
This is most certainly a Good Thing(tm), so long as the funding holds. Finding space for non-commercial, non-revenue activities is hard in many places.
Seconded. My wife takes our twin two year olds to the library twice a week for library story time and to play with the gigantic Thomas the Tank Engine. Both my wife and my kids like seeing their friends (and nobody has to get snacks or clean up their house for an afternoon playdate).
This is most certainly a Good Thing(tm), so long as the funding holds. Finding space for non-commercial, non-revenue activities is hard in many places.