Wishful thinking

This story suggests that if libraries had longer hours more people would use them rather than rely on information gleaned from untrustworthy sources like tabloid newspapers.

Wrong on two counts.

First: Library resources are available 24/7 for those who need to use them--both here and in the U.K., where the story originates. Many public libraries in the U.S. also offer round-the-clock access to their subscription-only databases to library card holders. As do university libraries. Face it, the people who get their information from The Sun or The Weekly World News are unlikely to be assiduously fact-checking the latest bigfoot sighting.

Second: People say they want libraries to have longer hours but they don't want to pay for them. In a profession that requires at least one advanced degree, librarians are already earning chump change. But a facility that offers hot-and-cold-running librarians in the flesh would still have to loosen the purse strings more than most people would be willing to pay.