It is also something that may be going away. Is this society evolving? Poorly executed Government? or just a lack of need for a centralized repository?
There are quite a few reasons that closures happen. The Washington library has a couple weeks off to make the budget, While Philadelphia is looking a bit more bleak.
Has the notion and concept of Library outlived its want or usefulness? Or is it something else.
The library that I am employed by was set up under a federal grant that was supposed to have ended but was given an extension. This was to make up for local revenue due to the gutting of our timber industry.
The library budget does not have a dollar figure. That is to say it operates with any given amount. Over the last few years. We have "suffered" budget cuts of 10%, 10%, with a planned cut of 20%, and 35%. For a total of 75% in cuts from the county. With out additional revenue there will be little to no public libraries in the county.
Some cities will continue on in some form. Maybe that is how it should be. I don't know.
As conservative as I am I still see a need for public parks, health and safety inspections, fire and police service. I am approaching a crossroads on Libraries...
13 comments:
I don't think you and I have ever agreed more on any topics. It's hard for younger generation that not everything is on the internet—someone has to physically load information on line.
I have an MLIS. I guess you do. also. So, this post saddens me. I worked with rare books both in a class where I studied incunabula and interned at a library widely known for its 18th Century collection—one of my favorite literary periods.
On my last internship day, my site supervisor took me in the stacks and brought out an 18th Century political brochure. In the margin, I noticed some annotations.
My site supervisor asked me if I knew who wrote the noten, then told me the annotations on the brochure were written by my favorite author. To touch this document physically gave me a feeling of connection that I cannot explain.
Sorry for going all academic on you, but much as I love computers, physically holding that brochure connected me to someone whose writings are profoundly important to me, as if I could almost feel history.
No computer can ever duplicate that feeling.
Teddy Roosevelt believed that, "to be a Conservative, one must conserve." I admire his commitment to the environment and his belief in preserving books for future generations. I don't know how we will conserve that wealth of information, but me must find a way.
Lee----Libraries are not a growth industry. Information technology is, though. I think as long as you're able to keep up with the most current systems, you'll have work. Bad time to be a librarian. Good time to be in IT. The irony is, IT, where you work, is responsible for the demise of libraries, also where you work.
I am not worried about my being employed (well under the current climate yes a bit). Moreso the demise of the library system.
The internet is no replacement for a library.
Not a growth industry? What an utterly short-sighted, misinformed perspective.
Flyingvan, to state that libraries are unnecessary because they are not a growth industry indicates an anti-intellectual perspective. Is everything about money to you? Are public parks, health and safety inspections, fire and police, and other public critical services growth industries? Public services are funded by the taxes we pay. I would rather have my taxes go to good schools and the health and welfare of our citizens than to growth industries such as Halliburton, which was a growth industry in that they received so many non-bid contracts paid by our taxes. I want a say in where my tax dollars are spent.
Non-growth industries, such as parks, benefit children, prompting them to learn how to get exercise and play. Would you then shut down parks because they are a non-growth industry? The drive to be physically active encourages health children and adults. Often, children learn physical activity in parks and playgrounds. If physical activity in parks contributes to healthy adults, then perhaps people would suffer less debilitating diseases because they learn to take care of their health. Health adults create a growth industry, even if that fact is not readily apparent.
Research from academic and medical related schools are, in fact a growth industry. How do people get a good education when universities charge prohibitive fees—including state residents who have paid taxes for such privilege—charge so much money, that students often work and go to school full time. I was one of those students. If these students have access to a good education, who knows what they might create—the backbone of America—small businesses, medical research, or discover an extraordinary invention such as the microchip, on which the entire world relies.
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Your comment about IT is misinformed. Thanks to the GOP-supported NAFTA (I still haven't forgiven Clinton for signing that bill), most developers, programmers, technical writers, operations, and several other fields had their jobs shipped out of America. Many good IT people and recruiters that I know struggling to find work in IT. Check your employment statistics. Few people succeed without a good education. Bill Gates certainly dropped out of Harvard, but not until grad school. He has a BS in computer science. Where would he be if he didn't?
California has the Gubenator who has done as bad a job as Reagan in slashing funds for K-12 and higher education. He once stated that when he's concerned, he just gets in his jacuzzi and smokes a cigar.
A governor who cares about her/his constituents can do a better job encouraging a growth industry. "Gray Davis m' mistakes. I would not place the total fiscal blame on him; rather, I'd take a good hard look at the Texas oil cartels that charged California four times the actual cost of oil and gouged my state. Oh, but wait: those are growth industries, so they matter more. Right?
That Americans can barely struggle to pay their debs due to the lack of jobs from NAFTA, which includes IT, If you understood the concept that Lee and I do—then you would recognize not everything is on the internet—then perhaps you might pause a second and wonder, like I do, if all business should be measured as a growth industry in terms of money rather than the public good.
There are many people in this country that can't afford shelter or food. Is helping them wrong because they are not a growth industry? And, if that's what you think, how do you know? If even one person might be helped and rise out of poverty to help others, then social services could reasonably be considered a growth industry.
You and Timmer desperately need to read A Modest Proposal, but I suspect the satire would be lost on both you. Swift ridicules individuals who support growth industries and keep others impoverished.
I am 100% with Lee, flyingvan. IT will, and never can, replace libraries. If you feel that way, you are misinformed beyond my comprehension. If libraries are not a growth industry, would your recommend we dismantle the Library of Congress or the British Library.
Off to vacation. You would serve yourself well, flyingvan if you listened to Lee, who wisely commented The internet is no replacement for a library. I am at a loss as to how you cannot understand this fact, and am terribly sad for your lack of vision.
Placing financial gain over people is short sighted. You never know when one of thos so-called "non-growth" industries might prompt greatness. As I will be away from computer access for a few days, I am looking forward to seeing you attempt to counter my rhetoric. Or will you brush me off altogether?
because you have no answers? Because you are bereft of the magic of the phsyical touch of rare, precious books and the wisdom they provide? Had you more understanding and respect for libraries, perhaps you would. Much as I love information technology, I don't believe in destroying the past without reason.
Do you ever wonder what knowledge and history we lost with the sacking of the Alexandria Library in the first century A.C.E.?
I am less angry than sad for your loss.
Holy crap!!! You really misinterpreted my statement. First off, I don't chase money at all. I chase my passions and try to muster the energy for my pursuits; money is a side effect.
Second---I'm a HUGE supporter of libraries, and agree with you 100% that IT is no replacement. We put a whole lot of effort into getting a decent library in Julian and utilize it often. We have a shelf full of books at home just so we can keep track of library books. You really jumped to conclusions based on your own bias towards conservatives; my brother does the same thing and it's annoying.
My statement stems solely from one thing---the public does not make funding a library a big priority. I know this first hand from efforts to build ours.
Finally, you are stuck in the liberal mindset that one must choose between financial gain and putting people first. Financial gain IS putting people first. My financial success, since I'm ethical about it, is a net gain for everyone since I'm creating wealth where ther was none before, not just moving it around.
By-the-by---Stella---I am utterly certain I have donated more time, letter writing, and personal funds towards a library than you have. Insisting on public funds doesn't count. Our family works DIRECTLY with helping the needy---not just insisting the government create new entitlements. Can you say the same? I've volunteered at AIDS hospice, where nearly no one shows up (yet they show up in droves for 'gay marriage' rallies) Can you say the same on that, or do you just get on line and degrade people from the other side and call it a day? As far as being misinformed---the governor slashed funding to the schools? Check your facts--funding has only increased, just not at the rate CTA spends millions on ad campaigns insisting upon.
Yes, I HAVE wondered what knowledge was lost (especially in the fields of astronomy and apothecary). Now you have me wondering about the funding that created that library.
So congrats on taking your stab then going on vacation. I'm sorry you see me as misinformed, against helping those in need, anti-library, too stupid to understand satire, anti-intellectual, money grubbing, short sighted, and lord knows what else---all because I identified libraries as not a growth industry. I'm identifying a dynamic. Your blind prejudice turned that into "Steve hates libraries" and rolled into a litany of liberal issues. Please re-read what you wrote, and pretend it was written towards yourself. I really wish my liberal friends were more able to discuss stuff instead of going straight to argumentive ad hominem
Holy crap!!! You really misinterpreted my statement. I guess I did, Steve(?). Please accept my apologies. I've heard so much about "non-growth industries" from conservatives, that I probably misread the intent of your comment. We certainly agree that "money is a side effect."
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Your blind prejudice turned that into "Steve hates libraries" and rolled into a litany of liberal issues. Blind prejudice is not a part of my intellect and personality. For this reason, I seek out conservative perspectives.
I did not base my comment on anti-conservativism. Liberals and Conservatives, particularly those of the younger generation, believe everything is on-line. That's a dangerous assumptions and a bipartisan problem. I am sorry, also, that I annoyed you, and appreciate your work to establish a library.
Given my respect for die-hard capitalists such as Richard Branson and Bill Gates, both of whom are financially conservative and socially liberal, I disagree that financial gain and profit are mutually exclusive.
I admire your ethics. I am not stuck in any mindset based on a quote by the Coultergeist that people who "sit on the fence" are ignorant. I couldn't disagree more: people who sit on the fence are those who think and considering various views prior to deciding how they feel.
I take exception to your comment that you are utterly certain you have donated more time, letter writing, and personal funds towards a library than you have. You do not know me, nor I you, to weigh the accuracy of that comment.
I have done much work in that regard. I'm not here to compete with you, I was merely taken aback by the comment about a library not being a growth business.
My family taught me to work directly with the needy. As a child with my family, I participated in Civil Rights marches, write and donate to numerous organizations, volunteered at libraries, and write my representatives to express my views.
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Of course, we can't rely solely on public funds. That's an illogical position: I believe the government, individuals, and private industry working together can accomplish a great deal for our country—certainly not a purely liberal perspective.
My spouse and I also work directly with the needy. We assist our troops whenever we can, despite our disdain for the current war. I also volunteered at homeless shelters, veterans' drives, radio stations writing and researching public service announcements, and animal shelters,
Your covert link to AIDs and gay marriage concerns me, but certainly I too wish more people would volunteer in hospices, to take action and help others and less time demonstrating. I, too, wish that we could harness the energy of demonstrations into positive action as you have done.
I agree on both sides of this issue: we have no arguments. I am a progressive that does not necessarily believe that the government can bail us out of all our ills: every issue needs consideration separately.
I certainly do not denigrate conservatives. I have learned much from you, Lee, Shoo, Timmer, and other conservative blogs I visit.
Ah-nold has significantly slashed funding for education in California. I better not go down that road or I'll need two comment boxes again.
I will not be called misinformed. I am willing to listen to people with whom I may disagree. I am also an inveterate addict to research and make a point to check facts before I disseminate them.
I eschew spewing knee-jerk reactions. Certainly, the CTA could put the money the spend on ads to far better use—like educating our children. Again, no disagreement,.
Steve, I did not take a stab at you and then go on vacation without intending to respond. I was looking forward to responding to you, rather than hiding from conflict, but without access to the internet
Speaking of satire, my entire English degree was spent studying satire: Swift, Parker, Twain, Pope... As Swift once wrote, Satire is a glass in which a person beholds everyone but themself. And I have no doubt you fully appreciative satire. I apologize, too, if my comment classified you as misinformed, Clearly, you are neither money grubbing or anti-intellectual.
Obviously, I misunderstood you, Please know that I never follow a party line—I analyze each situation issue-by-issue. I muse on words from both conservatives and liberals. Only a fool would follow party issues blindly.
I re-registered as an independent. Look for me on that fence.
Gee, Flying Van, are you still peeved at me?
Nah. Just bad internet at home. Dial Up. Founding Fathers didn't want political parties--- they just wanted us to stand behing individual issues.
Educational spending---the dollar amounts have never dropped, but funding has come under different pathways. California's educational budget is bigger than any other state's entire annual budget for everything. My beef is, the schools have become the clearing house for social services instead of focusing on just education, then they cry poverty.
I feel your pain. I'm dealing with a mini computer with only 512 MB. If I don't use a separate document program, I can't comment.
You are absolutely right about our Founding Fathers not wanting political parties, especially given the politics of England during the 18th Century—a two-party system.
I just changed my affiliation to Independent to vote issue-by-issue rather toe the party line. One of my biggest Coultergeist beefs [to borrow a Meghan McCain's phrase] is her statement that people who sit on the political fence are stupid and do not have the ability to make a choice. I'd argue that those who sit on the fence are those who consider all sides of an issue vote as an informed citizen,
California indeed has the biggest K-12 educational budget in the country and ranks 49th in education. We certainly have not used our funds wisely. I understand why schools have become a clearing house for social services, but think those issues would be better served by other agencies.
My husband works for the university system. The UC and Cal State universities have suffered significant budget cuts [from the Governor's Office]. State employees must take furloughs to reduce the California budget deficit. My concern centers more on the UC fees which are are now approximately $10,000 for State Residents, prohibitive for some deserving students, and a 50% increase since 1999.
I'm glad you responded, Flying Van and thank you for your graciousness in the face of my rant. I think we have more in common than we do differences. I admire you for taking the initiative to volunteer for causes in which you believe.
Best to you all: there's a lot of good people in this corner of cyberspace, and I've learned a lot from all of you.
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