Garbage collectors open a library with abandoned books
A surprising number of people don’t seem to understand how public libraries do collection management. Do you see new books when you go to the library? Does the library have infinite shelf space? They throw out books at roughly the same rate they acquire new ones. If books don’t circulate for a long period (I.e. no one has looked at it in five years), that book is going in the dumpster. It had basically negative value. Most books donated to libraries are worthless, but the donors can’t bring themselves to throw them out, so they have the library do it for them.<p>“Little free libraries” have similar problems where they just fill up with books no one wants unless their collections get actively culled.<p>This is a fun story, but only in the same way as articles talking about homeless people rigging their cardboard shanties with solar powered LEDs or something. These people would be much better served by a public library.