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Forbes has pulled an essay by a professor that advocated that Amazon stores replace public libraries and thus save the taxpayers money. Librarians and library supporters responded by saying that the article was ill informed and didn't reflect the many roles libraries play.
Here's a tweet by a newspaper columnist:
And here's one from a library science student:
On Monday, amid growing criticism, Forbes pulled the article, releasing a statement that said, "Forbes advocates spirited dialogue on a range of topics, including those that often take a contrarian view. Libraries play an important role in our society. This article was outside of this contributor’s specific area of expertise, and has since been removed."
The author is Panos Mourdoukoutas, a professor of economics at Long Island University's Post campus. He did not respond to a request from Inside Higher Ed for comment. On Twitter, however, he said that his critics were incorrect to say that public libraries are free since tax dollars finance them. He also denied owning stock in Amazon.
