Five Towns libraries lambaste Forbes op-ed

Officials say Amazon can’t compete with what a public institution has to offer

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There are two public libraries in the Five Towns, the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library on Broadway in Hewlett, and the Peninsula Public Library on Central Avenue in Lawrence. In addition to lending books and movies to cardholders, both taxpayer-supported institutions provide services that can range from free meals for children during the summer to college preparation classes at no charge.

Some see paying taxes to a library district as a part of their civic duty. But, Panos Mourdoukoutas, an economist at LIU Post, wants to do away with public libraries. In a July 21 article published on Forbes’ website titled “Amazon should replace local libraries to save taxpayers money,” he supported his opinion. “[Libraries] don’t have the same value they used to,” he wrote. “Technology has turned physical books into collector’s items, effectively eliminating the need for library borrowing services.”

He added that online services like Netflix and Amazon have replaced the library as a place to rent movies and books, and that Starbucks have replaced them in terms of a community meeting place with Wi-Fi. His solution was to have Amazon open physical bookstores to replace the libraries.


Mourdoukoutas was ridiculed online and in print and Forbes deleted the story. According to Richard Auxier, a researcher at the Tax Policy Center think tank, if funding to public libraries were to be cut and all the money was divided up among Americans, each person would receive $36. Many people also pointed out that in some cases libraries are the only places where underprivileged students may have access to a computer outside of school.

Local library officials explained tat Mourdoukoutas’ idea is shortsighted, and why they are much better equipped to serve their communities than companies like Amazon.

“Unlike libraries which are locally controlled,” said Shari Braverman, president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library’s board of trustees, “large corporations with corporate cultures tend to offer cookie-cutter stores, without tailoring the store to the needs of each particular community.”

William Ferro, Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library’s director, expressed similar sentiments about having a much more personal touch. He said that this isn’t something new for them. “I’ve been hearing things like this for over 20 years,” he said. “People used to make fun of me while I was studying library science, saying that Barnes and Noble would take over, and well they’re closing down and we’re still here.”

Libraries also have staffs trained to help patrons, many employees have masters’ degrees according to Carolynn Matulewicz, the director of PPL. “People who suggest things like this don’t know what they’re talking about,” she said plainly. “People just don’t come here for books, they come for programs, studying, printing and reading. You show me how Amazon is supposed to fill all those needs.”

The budgets for both libraries were approved, overwhelmingly in May. Hewlett-Woodmere’ increase was $71,415, and PPL’s budget ticked up by $60,940. Negligible increases when divided up among the residents of the districts.

When asked how she would respond to complaints by taxpayers like Mourdoukoutas, Matulewicz said, “It’s the same reason why you pay school taxes even if you don’t have kids in the community. Plus a good library increases property values; a great library is a valuable asset. It’s the type of thing people look for when buying a home.”