Hey! What did we do to you?

In the past few weeks I have noticed new vigor injected into what is NOT a new trend - suggesting that public libraries be closed, disbanded or replaced.  I know that hard economic times call for scrutiny of all spending.  I am in total agreement that all public spending should be judicious and planned to provide the greatest effect for the largest number of people possible.  I believe, in fact, those sorts of things should be going on in good times as well.  But this article appears to suggest throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Again, I am all for saving money.  I think, for example, the idea mentioned in that article of joint-use facilities can work very well.  In my experience, mostly these work as joint college/public facilities rather than public school/public library facilities.  There are many difficulties to solve with either scenario, but the issues surrounding inviting the general public into a public school facility are, in my opinion, much more daunting.  Still, it is a prudent thing to look at the possibilities if it could save money.

Here is another article from, of all places, the affluent Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, sent to me by a colleague of mine.  A fellow, Mr. Xinos, is apparently single-handedly responsible for the firing of public librarians from the Oak Brook PL.  Clearly, the city needs to scale back if they don't have the tax revenue, but to fire their Children's Librarian?  From a public library perspective, that's the same as shooting yourself in the foot.

I understand that as a librarian, my opinions may be a tad biased on this subject.  I realize too that as a great believer in the idea that education is the most important engine for societal improvement, my opinions might be further biased.  But I have to say that along with tremendous amounts of hard work, the United States would not be what it is without publicly-supported "free" access to ideas and information.  This goes for public libraries as well as free public education.  Ingenuity, creativity, study, and hard work literally propelled the United States to power.  Generations of Americans have striven for nothing more than a better life for their children and they achieved it with education.  How will we continue to be a place where people want to be?  Through hard work and education.

The crotchety old man in me wants to shake his fist in indignation and disgust at those who dismiss libraries as outdated, expensive, wastes of tax dollars.  But the student in me wants to learn why there seems to be a growing disdain for publicly supported institutions like libraries and what can be done to snap "us" out of our collective stupor.  Maybe it is up to libraries to, instead of championing the individual's growth and prosperity, find a way to champion, spur on, and propel their communities to new heights of growth and prosperity.