I just visited the library with my roommate to pick up some books I had on hold and to browse their current selection, and I think it’s my favorite place in my neighborhood. I can browse and check out books, DVD’s, and CD’s, video games, book study or meeting rooms, sit at the couches or desks, many with a lovely window view, attend classes and events, use the computers and print documents, for as long as I want, all without spending any money.

The library is a model for my ideal society. What if we had a library for furniture? Or vehicles? Or kitchen gadgets? What if we had a library for housing? It’s no wonder the right wants to defund libraries: hanging out in a study room or reading books you wouldn’t have if you needed to buy them could very well be the first steps towards prefigurating a society in which our needs are provided by the local community, for the local community, without any expectation of compensation.

You should get a library card.