Our Public Libraries Are Disappearing At An Alarming Rate: How You Can Help
Posted on | March 4, 2009 | No Comments
When times get tough, Federal funding for the arts, education and health care programs are often the first to be cut. States and counties all feel the pinch when the Federal government hands down the order for State administrators to trim their budgets. Although the Feds don’t usually stipulate where the cuts are to be made, it becomes the challenge of the State to see where and how they can reduce their public budgets by many millions of dollars. This results in these administrators looking at programs considered non-essential.
Today, there are few places to implement these cuts without a considerable outcry from the communities they serve. The fact that public libraries are closing, all over the country, is a deplorable state of affairs.
While many books are available to read on the internet, there are copyright issues that prevail, unless the book is no longer protected by copyright. The wealth of information available on the net just won’t do if you need a classic text or novel for a class paper or research project.
Our public libraries provide children’s sections, filled with storybooks and knowledge texts to enhance kids’ understanding of any number of subjects. If the library is closed, this has a negative impact on the quality of education available.
If you want to help reopen public libraries, join your local ‘Friends of the Library’ chapter. This organization conducts a number of programs to fund local public libraries, and relies on volunteers to bring these programs to life.
Another way you can help to keep our libraries open is through book drives at your church or other religious place of worship. If you think about it, there are many community organizations, such as the Kiwanis Club or the A.A.R.P, which may be generous donors to such a worthy cause. Go through your own books to see if you don’t have books to donate.
The closing of our public libraries is also due to lack of funding for the library staff. Talk to the people at your local Chamber of Commerce to see if they might be willing to sponsor a drive to raise staffing funds from local businesses. Sometimes, this sort of grass-roots movement brings both funds, with the additional benefit of increased public awareness.
If proposed legislation is coming up on your ballot to fund public libraries, be proactive. Look at the numbers and proposal carefully. Even if you do not use the library yourself on a regular basis, all adults owe it to the kids to make as much knowledge available as we can afford.
It’s known that a truly healthy democracy is based on an educated constituency of citizens. So, if you can, be proactive in an effort to keep our public libraries open.
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