It’s clear why neoliberals and authoritarians want to eliminate libraries. Along with parks (which they also want to eradicate), public libraries are among the last few places where there is no corporate oversight nor profit opportunity. People of all races, ages, and socioeconomic levels can gather freely, under the rubric of no corporatized agenda, to educate themselves on and to discuss whatever they wish without paying directly a singe cent. Even worse in the view of the neolibs, the very poorest and least advantaged benefit the most from the services a good library provides the community.

In addition — and perhaps just as importantly — libraries show government working well, and benefting everyone, which implies that it could (and in fact does so) in other arenas of life.

There is also the disdain for intellectualism, and also relevant to their disapprobation is that libraries contain all manner of unapproved and likely-dangerous ideas and tomes — some that even discuss how much of an evil and bane to the world is neoliberalism.

There is nothing in the world like a really good library, and it is for this very reason that neoliberals and corporation-worshippers wish to be rid of them.