In article <4a8238a2$1@news.povray.org>,
Jim Henderson wrote:

> On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:35:05 -0400, Daniel Bastos wrote:
>
>> In article <4a820953$1@news.povray.org>, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> 
>>> On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:18:28 -0400, Daniel Bastos wrote:
>>>
>>>> In article <4a819c66@news.povray.org>, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> I'd believe that.  Libraries are funded by taxpayer dollars, so if
>>>>> you're not a taxpayer, you typically would have to pay for a card (or
>>>>> just not be allowed to use the resources).
>>>> 
>>>> By the way, in Princeton's case, they didn't ask whether I was from
>>>> Jersey or anywhere. They simply said that if I was not a tuition
>>>> payer, then I needed to pay some 300 dollars per semester for library
>>>> access.
>>>
>>> That makes sense, since a portion of tuition would go to fund the
>>> library and its collection.
>> 
>> Hm. Are you saying that it makes sense for one to use a library if and
>> only if one can afford its price? (Or only in the Princeton's case? In
>> which case, why is Princeton special?)
>
> Libraries cost money.  Someone's gotta pay for them.  Students pay 
> through their tuition.  If you don't pay tuition, then sure, it seems 
> reasonable that they would charge.  It's not like Princeton's library is 
> a "public library" (ie, paid for by taxpayer money).

It actually isn't clear to me that it is not paid for by taxpayer
money. I have the impression that all universities are government
funded. I consider this from the fact that researchers are always
writing justifications for the grants they get from the government. If
they justify to the government, then I think the government is paying
them something. So whether you research in Princeton, MIT, or Florida
State University, it does seem that the government funds your
research. Researchers write papers and books about their studies.
These books and publications are the ones that you usually find in a
university library and not in a public library. 

It's not clear, then, that this is not paid for by taxpayer money.

Post a reply to this message