Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous American poet, said: “The student has his Rome, his Florence, all his brilliant Italy, within the four walls of his library. He has in his books the ruins of an ancient world and the glories of a modern world. Throughout history, libraries have provided individuals with a place to learn and develop. In fact, in ancient Egypt, invading armies burned the library of Alexandria because they knew the importance of the library to the morale of the people. Furthermore, when an oppressive regime comes to power, one of their first targets is libraries, because they know that only by suppressing the knowledge they provide can they successfully establish their own propaganda. But with the current economic crisis, the government is having to cut spending, and many of the new budget revisions are having a negative impact on public library systems. However, libraries play a vital role in our society, so the government should not cut funding for these programs. Contrary to many people's opinions about libraries, libraries have more resources than just books. Just as animals must adapt to their environment to survive, the library has evolved with advances in information technology. Some people may view libraries as obsolete relics of society and therefore in no need of government funding, but the truth couldn't be more different. According to the American Library Association (ALA), more than 66 percent of U.S. libraries have expanded their digital offerings in recent years (Karas). Computers, digitized databases, and even e-book files have become standard in public libraries. As the digital revolution continues and shows no signs of stopping, libraries have taken advantage of the better medium of paper ......library ance - Calvert Library Foundation. " Home - Calvert Library Foundation. Calvert Design Group Inc. Web. October 30, 2011. Library of Congress “Creating a Virginia Republic – Thomas Jefferson”. Library of Congress, August 3, 2010. Web, October 30, 2011. "The National Libraries are more used, less funded." Post-Gazette.com, February 15, 2010. Web October 30, 2011. Karas, David. "Public libraries fight to stay relevant in the digital age." CSMonitor.com." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. The Christian Science Monitor, June 27, 2011. Web. October 30, 2011. Kinzer, Stephen. "Why Dictators Hate Libraries - YouTube." YouTube. November 16, 2009. Web. October 30, 2011.ALA. “Some state and local budget cutters also view libraries as 'soft targets.' American Library Association, 2011. Web.. 2011.