Some people say that public libraries should be free

IELTS Writing Task 2 with sample answer.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people say that public libraries should be free, otherwise they are just a waste of money, especially because modern technologies and the internet allow easy access to resources.

Discuss and give your point of view.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer:
Libraries have been playing a tremendous role in building human civilization. However, with the explosive growth of information technologies, people have easy access to the ocean of information at anytime, anywhere. Therefore, some people come to the point that libraries should be free, otherwise it would be just waste of money. In this instance, I, to some extent, agree with the statement given.

It seems that the early twenty first century is the age of information technology that no epoch ever dreamt of. There is huge information available on the internet for anyone to use. Moreover, we are able to save gigantic databases including books, thesis papers, journals, chronicles and other important works such as history and researches related to several fields easily and quickly with help of modern sophisticated technologies. Take internet as an example: people with just few mouse clicks can get and save any kind of information in the blink of an eye at their convenient place and time. Consequently, people no longer need to spend money on membership of public library. So, in many circles, it is argued that should be free, otherwise it is just a waste of money.

However, I do not fully agree with the view that it is just waste of money, though I feel that public libraries should be free. First of all, public libraries are the place where the environment is quite conducive for reading. For instance, I always prefer public library for reading quietly. Secondly, public libraries are becoming dynamic place day by day. That is to say that it is seeking to engage the community, instead of simply providing a place to read or borrow books. It acts like a hub of community. Last but not the least, public libraries always provide reliable books and professional resources unlike the information available on the internet. In many cases, it is pretty difficult to distinguish authentic information from the huge pile of unanimous information and any false information may lead to very serious consequences. On the other hand, public libraries should be free just because knowledge is power and libraries are the place from where people can get knowledge. So, it must be free to build a powerful nation.

To reiterate, I would like say that the core mission of public libraries is to encourage and foster new readers, and promote communities of readings, while the modern digital world can never supersede this core motto. So, public libraries are still playing significant role in our daily life and it must be free for the sake of building a powerful nation.