Framing the Video Game Debate?

So last week I posted about the Annoyed Librarian's query about the role of public librarians. Are we supposed to neutrally serve or educate or a bit of both? More recently she posted about "trashy fiction" in public libraries. It led to some excellent discussion in the comments. I framed it as a debate between our sometimes seemingly contradictory roles as institutions of both education and recreation. Another commenter said it's about high culture vs. low culture:

Libraries and museums and by extension the people that work in them are public sources of high culture. We are also sources of education. We traditionally educate people on high culture. Unfortunately since the mid twentieth century the masses have rejected high culture. Its easier to just be yourself then it is to grow and improve. Besides high culture can lead to bad things like fascism or socialism or communism. Because of this the libraries are switching to low culture to justify themselves.

I'd disagree, but that's one way of looking at it. What do you consider the role/mission/purpose of the public library?