[SVDC 491] Our Public Library Lifeline Is Fraying

[Brian Berg]

This is somewhat off-topic, but since our local library is an important part
of our community I feel this is a timely and important posting.

Brian Berg


Our Public Library Lifeline Is Fraying. We'll Be Sorry When It Snaps

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-brodsky/our-public-library-lifeli_b_533529.html
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-brodsky/our-public-library-lifeli_b_533529.html>
[Commentary] This is National Library Week, a time normally reserved for
celebrating an institution that plays a vital role in many of our cities,
towns and counties. Instead, many libraries, particularly public libraries,
are being decimated by budget cuts at a time when library services are
needed most. Libraries, once considered a necessity, are now seen as a
luxury. They are low-hanging fruit for budget pluckers, particularly at the
state and local levels of government in communities across the country. It's
been a slow death by attrition over the past couple of years. First, it was
the budget for books and materials because, after all, books and materials
aren't people. No matter that books and materials are what makes a library,
well, a library. Then came the hours of operation, then the staff, then the
closure of branches. No two communities are approaching the situation
identically, but in cities from Boston to Indianapolis, the stories are
increasingly dire.
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