Public libraries occupy a strange position in modern civic life: they are among the few remaining institutions that offer their full range of services without regard to a visitor's income, education, or citizenship status. A patron can walk in without an appointment, borrow a stack of books, use a computer, attend a workshop, or simply sit in a warm room for an afternoon, all at no charge. This universality is not incidental to what a library is; it is the entire premise. Municipal budgets rarely reflect this reality, however, since library funding is frequently among the first line items reduced when a city faces a shortfall, on the assumption that a service everyone can use is a service no single constituency will defend.