As to public libraries, 'twas not always thus. Lending libraries such as the one Franklin started were subscription affairs, after all. One might start a considerable debate over the value to society of having that sort of resource available for those who cannot afford to purchase its constituent volumes - I happen to think it's a considerable value, having used one on numerous occasions to garner information that is either not available on the 'Net or that I wouldn't bother collecting on my own. A 20-volume set of Audubon is great but a little pricey if all you want to do is check out what a crested grebe looks like.
The problem, of course, is that there are a number of similar benefits that a government can and does provide that are really not its job to provide - a shooting range, for example. I'll settle for public libraries that are privately funded (I'm a donor to my alma mater's library) and give gladly for the purpose, but holding a gun to my neighbor's head to get him to contribute isn't, IMHO, a proper function of government.
No matter the media, papaer, linen, leather parchment, stone, glass etching -- none are permanent. All require some re-write cycle, just like dynamic RAM. The only difference is the length of the cycle.