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Book News: The Future of the Public Library May Lie in the Coffee Shop : The Two-Way : NPR
by thenewgreen

    For a public library to expect to survive today, it must begin to take crucial cues from coffee shops. At least, that's the key recommendation offered by a much anticipated report on British public libraries, which is set to be released Thursday.

    The Independent Library Report for England argues that, with help from the U.K. central government, public libraries must expand digital services, such as e-lending and free WiFi if they are to continue to be viable. Commissioned in February by the U.K. government and headed by publisher William Sieghart, the report also calls for the creation of a task force to come up with a unified strategy for implementing the changes.

    According to the report, those changes must include standard Wi-Fi: "The wi-fi connection should be delivered in a comfortable, retail-standard environment, with the usual amenities of coffee, sofas and toilets."