Wow, where do you live? I have spent a ton of time in Seattle's, San Francisco's, and New York's public libraries, and all are fantastic.
Seattle's is by far the best though. Free, fast WiFi, good coffee stand in the library, helpful librarians, outlets galore, amazing architecture and an enforced no-sleeping policy (this helps keep it a place of work and learning, and not a homeless shelter, of which Seattle has plenty for those in need).
You can get great DVDs and books for free, and reserve them online if they're unavailable. It's basically Netflix for free.
The Business Library on 34th in NYC and the main library in SF at Civic Center are also pretty good.
In general, I think you have an outdated view of modern libraries. However, it could just be that you live in a city where all of what you said is true, in which case, talk to your local government and get it fixed!
Seattle's is by far the best though. Free, fast WiFi, good coffee stand in the library, helpful librarians, outlets galore, amazing architecture and an enforced no-sleeping policy (this helps keep it a place of work and learning, and not a homeless shelter, of which Seattle has plenty for those in need).
You can get great DVDs and books for free, and reserve them online if they're unavailable. It's basically Netflix for free.
The Business Library on 34th in NYC and the main library in SF at Civic Center are also pretty good.
In general, I think you have an outdated view of modern libraries. However, it could just be that you live in a city where all of what you said is true, in which case, talk to your local government and get it fixed!