# If You're Still Pissed About the Library of Alexandria Being Torched Just Wait **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 1, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225 "2026-01-01T03:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/1 "2026-01-01T03:26:24Z")
Since everybody’s some kind of nerd here, I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume that 99% of the folks here are still pissed off about the Library being torched. Whelp, because of budget cuts, NASA is being forced to close their library at the Goddard center in Maryland. They’ve already admitted that they’re going to have to throw some of the materials out. Apparently, lots of the collection hasn’t been digitized, and a portion of it is comprised of things that can be found nowhere else. [You can read about it here.](https://archive.is/Ii6qS) I’m going to suggest that folks (and we once had someone here who worked at Goddard, so perhaps they could provide some inside info) near the area start dumpster diving and if they’re able to rescue any books, journals, etc., they donate them to a public library so the stuff’s not lost forever. Maybe pick the closest public library and work out a deal with them, so that library has bragging rights about how good their rare documents collection is. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/2 "2026-01-01T04:18:56Z")
Why would they have to throw anything out? Could they not donate the stuff themselves, or make it available, or raffle it? Why straight to garbage? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/3 "2026-01-01T04:51:43Z")
That’s what the article says, and having dealt with government agencies in the past, I certainly can see how they could be required to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/4 "2026-01-01T14:35:41Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Why straight to garbage? Because anything other than “Straight to garbage” will cost slightly more money, and the sorts of people who would order the closing of a unique library are the sorts to care a lot more about money than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/5 "2026-01-02T12:22:53Z")
I remember when SF was building their new library in the 80’s, the new young smart-aleck administrator trashed thousands of books and art work, because “the library is meant for computers, not books”, instead of your suggestions what a loss! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/6 "2026-01-02T13:23:51Z")
Instead of trashing the books and journals, why didn’t they offer them to a university? It seems such a waste. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/7 "2026-01-02T13:59:05Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Because anything other than “Straight to garbage” will cost slightly more money, and the sorts of people who would order the closing of a unique library are the sorts to care a lot more about money than anything else. It’s not even that. The same year my mom retired from teaching, the school she taught at was torn down. Not only did they knock down the library with all of the books still in it, they also paid for security guards for the site to prevent teachers from taking anything out. People who order libraries closed aren’t motivated by the money. They’re motivated by closing libraries. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/8 "2026-01-02T14:29:27Z")
Let’s be honest, this can go into the giant bucket of “we’re doing this to piss off the libs.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/9 "2026-01-02T14:40:00Z")
Did a librarian shush Trump when he was a little brat? I’ve wondered what might eventually be housed in the Trump Presidential Library, aside from gold moldings and chairs with marble armrests, since books will be a low priority and they’ll have to carefully redact tons of stuff from his Presidential papers. Books by Donald like “The Art of the Deal” and “Midas Touch” won’t take up much space. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/10 "2026-01-02T15:06:54Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Books by Donald like “The Art of the Deal” and “Midas Touch” won’t take up much space. They will when the library buys 500,000 copies to funnel money to Trump create a fake “best seller” ranking satisfy the public demand for the words of Dear Leader Trump the Magnificent. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/11 "2026-01-02T20:05:19Z")
Alexandria would get back a lot of their old scrolls if they would just waive late fees. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/12 "2026-01-04T10:32:57Z")
This pisses me off more that all of the other crimes of Donnald. Shit, put a lock on the door and shut the heat off. Don’t throw away all that knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/13 "2026-01-04T20:22:41Z")
One possible reason is that libraries are currently suffering enormous shortages of both funding and space to store books, which is also expensive. The article makes that clear. > “This is a consolidation not a closure,” said NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens. The changes were part of a long-planned reorganization that began before the Trump administration took office, she said. She said that shutting down the facilities would save $10 million a year and avoid another $63.8 million in deferred maintenance. Some of the collection will be warehoused. Presumably that would heavily be the unique items. In normal times, getting bids to take a unique collection would be feasible. In today’s world, it is exponentially more difficult, especially since doing so would make an enemy of Trump. Government goods do regularly go up for auction, though, or used to. It would be fascinating to see the crowd which would buy five old jeeps, then Russian space manuals, then 200 filing cabinets. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/14 "2026-01-04T20:31:52Z")
Do you really trust this administration to protect the important things? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/15 "2026-01-04T22:59:50Z")
Of course not. But this stuff isn’t “woke.” I don’t think they’ll care much. Should be much easier to get it through without controversy. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/16 "2026-01-04T23:14:27Z")
The “Burning of the Library at Alexandria” is another of those historical myths that belongs in a different thread. Didn’t really happen, at least not as advertized. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-still-pissed-about-the-library-of-alexandria-being-torched-just-wait/1026225/17 "2026-01-04T23:25:32Z")
I wouldn’t bet on that.