Things change. Ben Franklin’s Free Library looked nothing like the ancient Greek library. Nor should today’s version look anything like the Carnegie funded book temples of the last century.

Libraries have a noble tradition dating to a time when books held a much more sacred place in society than they do today. During the golden age of libraries, in the 1700s, books were relatively expensive. Today, most people can afford to buy as many books as they want and do. Also, the Internet has replaced much of a library’s utility as a research institution.

Libraries in general, and certainly Trenton’s library, are hanging on to a past that has largely become meaningless. According to a Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) report, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources library users perception of the library “brand” is books and books only.

Yet modern libraries are a mish-mash of services including:

• Homeless shelters
• Babysitters
• Free computer sites
• Educators
• Study halls
• Book lenders

The library has become over-run with social causes as missions to educate have crept into the agenda.

Meanwhile alternatives to libraries have evolved

• Big box bookstores are part reading room, part café and part bookstore
• The Internet is first source for research and news
• Vast 2^nd hand book networks are available online

Trenton’s public library, like many libraries around the country, finds itself in serious budget troubles. The debate in the city is about whether to mothball branches or take some other drastic action.

Now that Trenton can no longer fund the status quo. It’s time to try something new.

If we had a “do over” how would libraries operate?

There are two useful options

1) Turn the whole thing over to the county if they’ll take it. This doesn’t fix the fundamental problem of an outdated organization, but at least it out of Trenton, OR

2) Turn the libraries over to a third party

The county option is easy and is the safest way to solve the problem for the city budget. However, Option 2 is the more interesting and useful option for Trenton’s citizens.

The library can be reinvented as a book concession

This is a simple notion compared to today’s heavily programmed public library. Combining the noble aspirations of civic enrichment with the sustainability of a functioning business could very well be the next evolution of the library.

This type of arrangement is similar to how most institutions offer food service. The city can develop a set of requirements and then contract with a commercial provider to:

• Offer a lending program subsidized by the city
• Provide study and reading space

• Mandate computer access with portals to research databases

Eliminate the research department

It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to believe that the computer is a better research tool than card catalogs and stacks ever will be. The job of moving all research to the Internet is mostly done, Trenton can add to the effort by moving its one of a kind material online.

Trenton could use more bookstores

Trenton has only one book store for a population of 83,000 people. Retailers have decided that cities like Trenton are bad risks. By converting libraries to lending bookstores and thereby re-inventing the model, we can save the essence of the library and inject new retail commerce into the economy at the same time.

This reinvention idea might sound a little out there, but really, if we’re going to be gutting Trenton’s public library, isn’t this the right time to consider new options?