Red Feather Lakes Community Amazon?

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Creed Kidd
Red Feather Lakes Community Library

Well, not likely, despite the catchy title and the name-dropping: Amazon TM (trademark).

We’re referring, of course, to the recent article in Forbes Magazine by a Long Island University economics professor stating the case that libraries no longer serve the useful purpose they once did and now the communities they once served well would be better served by a corporate entity such as … Amazon. If the goal during the Great Depression was a chicken in every pot, this East Coast gentleman sees a brick and mortar Amazon in every town as successor to the role that the public library previously held in individual and community life.

Here in beautiful, downtown unincorporated Red Feather Lakes Village we think that’s unlikely to happen soon. We’re not aware of the area being sized up by sleek outside real estate agents with big cars with out-of-state plates casually dropping the A-word. In fact, here at the Red Feather Library our closest real estate discussion with the fine folks at Amazon consisted of our solicitation and offer of hosting an outside drop-off locked-box center to make it much easier for those local folks that have difficulty in receiving packages. That was six months ago; we’ve heard nothing since and we’re not holding our collective breath.

After a fair amount of heated exchange and negative social media Forbes removed Professor Mourdoukoutas’ online article and sometime later posted a near-lyrical reminiscence of what the public library meant to the author as a child.

Here at the library that’s exactly what we intend. We’re working so that in 20 or 50 years your children or grandchildren may look back to Red Feather Lakes Community Library with fondness and remember the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) kit checked out, the microscope with slides, the night telescope or nature backpack. Or, perhaps a book that enlightened the mind and fired the imagination.

If you’re looking for the future, it’s here at your local Red Feather Library. We’re not here to assess or haggle over a 25-cent fine or insist you have our library card or sign-in before using a computer or wireless. We’re here to assist you do what you want to do whether it be find a book or movie, read the paper or check out a magazine, scan or print a document. We’re on your side working in your behalf. That means that sometimes we do things differently.

At the bottom of the professor’s article there was a link to his latest recommended book. The link, of course, led to Amazon where for $14.14 you could purchase the book. The alternative would be to use your free Red Feather Lakes Community Library card to request the book interlibrary loan. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Or not. We’re offering you that choice.

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