Anonymous Patron writes “Salinas Isn’t Closing after all. A grassroots fund-raising effort has reached its goal of $500,000 to keep Salinas’ three libraries open a total of 26 hours a week through the end of 2005, city officials announced Wednesday.
The money poured in from big companies and foundations and regular folks once city officials announced a plan last fall to close all three libraries because of budget cuts.”
Disgusted, really
Frankly, I’m disgusted by the news. If a community can’t find the will and the resources to support a public library, they don’t deserve to be bailed out by outsiders. Let the library close for a season or two and the ferment would be such that a few politicians would find themselves out of a job and the library would come back stronger than ever.
What’s going on with libraries anyway?
Well…here at LisNews, there is a link to an article in Technology Review with the cheery title “The Death of Libraries” and meanwhile Salinas is rescued…by donations…this is but a temporary fix…and establishes an uncomfortable
precedent.
We’ve got stories about a library being closed in Bedford Texas, a library ceasing the checkout of books on April 15th in Niagara Falls New York,the Philadelphia Free libraries, trying to reduce 20 libraries to “express libraries” open only 4 ours a day and staffed by non-librarians,…
Anybody know about other public libraries in trouble?
Is this Public Library Crisis temporary or permanent? Is this all because of the economy tanking after 9/11? Or because in the Age of Google and electronic everything…libraries are being viewed as irrelevant?
By the way haven’t public libraries been the leaders in making electronic information sources available on their websites? What happens to that access when libraries close? And what about access to US? We are the experts at finding answers no matter where they are, no matter what the source…
Re:What’s going on with libraries anyway?
**** Well…here at LisNews, there is a link to an article in Technology Review with the cheery title “The Death of Libraries” and meanwhile Salinas is rescued…by donations…this is but a temporary fix…and establishes an uncomfortable
precedent ****
Ok- So yes, this is a temporary fix. I must say though that this RALLY has brought nationwide attention to this dilemma. The RALLY campaign brought it to the attention of someone like me who is oblivious to library news!
I am a mother of 7 though and had no idea our libraries were in danger! I am a foster mom and I take these children to the library as soon as they come to my home because most of them have never seen the inside of a library. It opens up a whole world for them and most of their world has been pretty funky and a new one is welcomed.
Ok, I know you understand the benefits of the library–what is to be addressed here is the benefits of the RALLY–the publicity–the promotion of keeping our libraries open.
I wrote a children’s book and the Steinbeck Elementary kinder class illustrated it. It has been picked up and being distributed nationwide. 100% of the proceeds got to the libraries. Do you think that the money we make on this little book will save the library? NO we couldn’t sell enough books–but it helps with getting the word out there so mommies like me (and all people)can know that our libraries are in danger and we all need to do something about it! Groups like “Save our Libraries” ( http://www.savethelibraries.org) are doing everything they can to draw up new initiatives for our next ballot. We are getting the word out and trying to change our budget to keep these libraries open.
Plus–with this book–we teach our children that their contribution matters in this fight. That they may do something to make a difference.
THAT is setting a healthy precedence–not one to be uncomfortable with.
Thank you,
shell
http://pottershands.com/goldenkey.htm
Saving Our Libraries
**** Well…here at LisNews, there is a link to an article in Technology Review with the cheery title “The Death of Libraries” and meanwhile Salinas is rescued…by donations…this is but a temporary fix…and establishes an uncomfortable precedent ****
Ok- So yes, this is a temporary fix. I must say though that this RALLY has brought nationwide attention to this dilemma. The RALLY campaign brought it to the attention of someone like me who is oblivious to library news!
I am a mother of 7 though and had no idea our libraries were in danger! I am a foster mom and I take these children to the library as soon as they come to my home because most of them have never seen the inside of a library. It opens up a whole world for them and most of their world has been pretty funky and a new one is welcomed.
Ok, I know you understand the benefits of the library–what is to be addressed here is the benefits of the RALLY–the publicity–the promotion of keeping our libraries open.
I wrote a children’s book and the Steinbeck Elementary kinder class illustrated it. It has been picked up and being distributed nationwide. 100% of the proceeds got to the libraries. Do you think that the money we make on this little book will save the library? NO we couldn’t sell enough books–but it helps with getting the word out there so mommies like me (and all people) can know that our libraries are in danger and we all need to do something about it!
Groups like “Save our Libraries” ( http://www.savethelibraries.org) are doing everything they can to draw up new initiatives for our next ballot. We are getting the word out and trying to change our budget to keep these libraries open.
Plus–with this book–we teach our children that their contribution matters in this fight. That they may do something to make a difference.
THAT is setting a healthy precedence–not one to be uncomfortable with.
Thank you, shell http://pottershands.com/goldenkey.htm