A (legal) way to break through a paywall.

A (legal) way to break through a paywall.

Last week, two friends came to me with the same problem. I gave them a simple and free solution.

They both clicked into a well-titled article only to be blocked by a pesky paywall, a problem we all have.

They couldn’t be more different people. Their jobs share very little in common: one is an elementary school teacher, and the other is a venture capitalist. Their personalities couldn’t be more different: one likes to read about serial killers, the other about startups.

I told them to look to their local library for help.

It took me less than 60 seconds to search their library and verify they had access to the article (and publication) they wanted.

It surprised me that my friends didn’t think to go there first. Both are smart people. One even actively borrows books, so they are familiar with the library system. The other didn’t have a library card, an example that speaks to the decline of libraries.

I got curious and looked up usage statistics for my library, the Marin County Free Library.

Along with 252,000 others, I have access to 10 branches and a lot of digital content. My library has an annual budget of about twenty million dollars—a good chunk of money if you ask me. For context, only eight million is allocated to road maintenance.

One branch even has a professional recording studio the public can use. (I’ve always wanted to record my own version of StoryCorps, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. I recently found out my grandma was investigated by the FBI, which is a story for another day).

While I couldn’t find data on active members, I found an older article from a local newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal. They reported that the library served about 20% of the total population in 2014, and I fear that statistic has only worsened.

Why so low? Why aren’t people using the library?

It’s not because libraries don’t know what’s going on. They’ve invested a lot of money in building and expanding access to digital content.

My friends didn't even have to go into a branch to read the articles they wanted.

If only Taylor Swift could help get this message out. Until then, you got me.

So, if you don’t have a library card yet, sign up! It’s free and fast.
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(photo of the Marin Valley Library branch)