Philadelphia Library Saved

The Philadelphia Library, the one Benjamin Franklin opened, the oldest library in our country, was saved from closing Thursday by raising taxes.

All of our libraries are in danger. Mine will be safe thrugh next year. How is your local library doing?

There have been severe budget cuts, so people have been laid off and hours have been reduced.

I live a short distance from Philadelphia, where not only was the library system in danger of closing, but 3000 people, including 1000 police and firemen, were in danger of losing their jobs. Since the city already has one of the highest crime rates in the country and is ripe with corruption, I am glad Mayor Nutter was able to temporarily stop the city from facing an almost certain increase in gang activity and neighborhood violence.

I value libraries very very much, and I hope city leaders are able to cut whatever they need to, in order to keep its citizens safe, and with access to literacy materials.

I live in an area with excellent well-managed library services. I can only pray that my taxes, which here in NJ are much much higher than in Philadelphia, will support the continued patronage of libraries by its citizens. (It's so unfortunate that in parts of Philly, libraries are used for graffiti and activities unrelated to books, which makes it bad for those who DO want to visit to exchange reading and audio/visual materials.)

I missed out on this piece of news. Glad to hear that the library was saved...for now. It is never over. Never, folks.

Part of the problem about public libraries, is how they are being perceived by the younger generation /others besotted with the Internet.

Library management now must exercise more guerilla tactics to market what a library offers that a citizen cannot get from their home computer. As you may have noticed over the years, particularily in big city libraries, the library tries to position itself as a key community meeting node for knowledge-sharing and community change..that's why there are the resume writing workshops, activist speakers (within our library system it is allowed), etc.

I think part of our local library is used for a Day Care Center.
I know some book clubs meet there and discuss the newest releases. Home PCs have certainly taken the spunk out of local
newspapers and libraries. That's for sure!

orchid, our library has many opportunities (social and educational) for the young to the very old. It's a community gathering place for those who take advantage of it.

Right! A community gathering place. Exactly.

But I don't think enough people take advantage of what they have to offer. I did when the kids were little, but no longer do so.

You would be amazed at ALL the events our Vegas libraries offer. It boggles the mind and they are all well attended. We have an abundance of beautiful, new, modern libraries all around town.

I think our libraries are used extensively. We're surrounded by
suburbs and every library offers tons of activities.

Our libraries are jammed packed all the time. They are also heavily supported.

So there goes that theory that no one in Alabama can read. Bawwwhahahah...Ahem.

The main branch here is an architectural landmark that tourists do take photos. It inspired by the Roman Coliseum.

http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/library.html (Scroll down page after getting into link.)

Oh my, what fantastic architecture! I love buildings like that.
I see why people take pictures of it. Awesome!

I'm so glad to hear that libraries are loved and used as much as my library.

I used to buy books, go to movies, and rent DVDs. That is no longer in my budget as prices climbed so high over the years, my pay level shrank when I moved to Florida, and now I'm out of work. I have never used a library as much as I have in the last 8 years.

I would have no entertainment if not for the library. Other that TV (too many commercials), I don't know what alternatives I would have if my library closed.

Would suggest Saundra and others who have a personal story how the existence of library services contributes to your quality of life and understanding of the world, to send an email letter to the library director for the library system. Express how it is different from just using the Internet.

It is s/he who is in the line of fire for the library budget. It is s/he who must represent the community constituents before municipal council. It is s/he who has ultimate control over use /creation of library space for community knowledge-sharing and information-gathering.

My partner's cycling advocacy organization (which covers city of Vancouver), books one of the library branch's meeting rooms several times per year for their frequent meetings.

When I was growing up, our local library gave rise to my dreams. I lived in a ghetto and we had no car or phone, so I walked the 12+ blocks to the library as often as I could. I started doing this as a very young child and it was mostly how I learned to read so early in life.

I ran through the children's section in just a couple of years and applied to the adult section at about age 10, maybe less. It took some doing, but I was euphoric to gain access to a plethora of materials which pushed the boundaries of my childhood imagination.

That one library gave me the fuel to pursue all my dreams. May the idea of it be with us forever.