Question
Some people think that the government should establish free libraries in each town. Others, however, believe that it is a waste of money since the public can use the Internet at home to obtain information. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
Sample answer
The public can still benefit from visiting libraries, even though these days access to the Internet can provide all kinds of information. To enhance the quality of research, it is better to make the most of both modern Web-based and traditional library resources. Establishing free libraries in each town makes sense since the use of a computer at home has its own weaknesses as well as its indisputable strengths.
At this information age, the diversified advantages of using the Internet are only too obvious. Online resources can be obtained from all over the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week while a library's publications cannot provide up-to-minute information the way Web sites can. The Internet gives users opportunities for two-way communication through Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, MSN, among other electronic devices. Some sites feature rare books, documents and special collections that traditionally have been only available in libraries. Almost at no cost and merely a few clicks away, the public can read newspapers, magazines, journals and encyclopedias, no matter when or where. Furthermore, the Internet offers a complete multimedia experience—texts, video, audio, hyperlinks and graphics, etc. all at once, but such advantages often cannot be expected from town libraries.
On the other hand, money spent on public libraries is certainly worth it. To start with, knowledgeable librarians can be of practical help when it comes to offering professional advice about research on particular topics. A government-financed library is supposed to use universal cataloging systems that classify and organize all resources so that it is easier for a user to locate specific information without being led to non-productive research. Whereas most Web sites provide materials characteristic of current information, only a library well-funded by public money can house printed copies that date back many decades. In addition, computers in libraries also offer free Internet connection and other electronic resources, such as reference CD-ROMs. Now that anyone can create a Web site, reliability of information on the Internet is not guaranteed, and as such there are cases in which the Internet is no substitute for the library.
Money being not the issue, the government ought to have the wisdom of establishing free libraries in each community despite the fact that people can use the Internet at home or elsewhere. For quality research, libraries and the Internet are complementing each other. Were information food for the hungry mind, one might as eat out sometimes as eat at home, and at this point nobody ever ask questions whether to have "free" restaurants in town.
