From the Oregon Daily Emerald – University of Oregon: Nationwide libraries burned by budget cuts
Anyone who cares about the future of American commerce, politics, science, art, music, film or about our future as a society should take a moment during this week, officially “National Library Week,” to reflect on the unfortunate state of the American public library system. With the ease and speed of the Internet, it is easy to discount the public library as a home to musty plastic-covered books, a relic of the past.
Today, the estimated 16,421 public libraries in the U.S., often no longer valued as symbols of civic pride, have come under fire. When citizens reject local taxes and bonds, libraries and cultural programs are the first to go on the chopping block.
According to the American Library Association, projected and announced library funding cuts nationally have topped $111.2 million in the past 18 months, resulting in the “reduction in library funding … cuts to operating budgets, limited hours, reduced materials budgets, hiring freezes or elimination of personnel and reduced library programming.
A National Crises
Public Libraries everywhere are in crises.
Hours are being cut, staff are being fired,
new materials are not being purchased and
equipment is not being upgraded.
We know of a few…Salinas, Bedford Texas,
Niagara Falls New York, the Philadelphia Free
Library…and probably many, many others.
Some kids in Universities say they never go
to the library…but the stuff they access
remotely…was selected, collected, created
and provided by librarians!
Is this all to do with fallout and economic
shortfalls since 9/11? Is this due to a false
public perception that they can get it all
for free on the internet?
Let’s hope ALA and each of us become stronger
more vocal advocates for our libraries, no
matter what type of library we work in or
use!
Budget Cuts
Budget cuts started hitting in the mid-1990’s when the Republicans and conservatives started their advance into local government. Now that they are in charge in so many places, their power is being felt.
The fiscal conservatives have won the battle over budgets with their demands to reduce taxes. Indeed, many politicians ran on simply one platform- reduce local taxes. Thus, public libraries get hit.
The social conservatives are now begining to feel the pinch in supporting the fiscal conservatives. As public libraries are hit, their at-home schooling and other activities, which depended on public libraries and public social services, are being hit. Will the social conservatives fight the fiscal conservatives, and insist on more taxes to support social services?
Those social conservatives who want better schools and libraries now have to vote in favor of steady or increased tax rates. At the moment, they are being labeled as RINO’s (Republican in Name Only) by fiscal conservatives who are only concerned with reducing taxes by any means. When various conservative movements turn on each other, you know they have finally reached a level of control, and are fighting for dominance and power. Who will win- dollars or kids? Stay tuned. The fight will get even more interesting. And ugly.
Something’s Gotta Give Re:Budget Cuts
First of all two of the states that had libraries on the chopping block were Massachusetts and California, 2 states infested head to toe with liberals. Kinda blows your theory there…
If you work in a public library go pull out a copy of your town’s budget and the school budget. Look at what everyone’s making. Here in Mass police get pay raises for every degree they get regardless of whether it actually relates to their job. The school teachers get paid very well and the school budget is basically sacrosanct. Town employees get excellent health insurance at a reasonably good cost. That’s local.
On a state level Mass is getting ready to pass to pass a bill on stem cell research with the intention of eventually investing 100 million dollars similar to California’s 3 billion. How do people think the state is going to backup basic services if they are going on spending sprees?
Yesterday was Tax Freedom Day. People have to work 3 and half months a year to pay their taxes. Raising them isn’t going to be the answer.
Re:Budget Cuts
You don’t understand conservatives, social or fiscal conservatives.
Many social conservatives who home-school aren’t big fans of public schools, that is why they home-school.