Comments on: Give me libraries! A call to action

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:47:22 +0000

Becki,

Hearing about Pennsylvania’s budget cuts to libraries last year is what inspired this post to begin with. I’ll definitely send a buck their way.

Keep up the great work.

By: Becki

Becki — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:39:44 +0000

This is a little late, but I wanted to thank you for raising awareness of the problems libraries are facing across the country. Massive state budget cuts in Pennsylvania mean many libraries are barely getting by. Local support is pretty minimal in the poorer areas of the state. The public library where I work is asking patrons to sponsor magazines, because otherwise we will have to drop many of the titles we currently get. Rather tellingly, 7 of the library staff stepped up and sponsored titles. We’re still waiting to hear what next year’s state budget will be and what it will mean for the library’s hours and staff (we’ve already had to cut 3 positions and reduce a fourth to part-time).

My public library: Pottsville Free Public Library, 215 W Market St, Pottsville, PA 17901.

Thanks again, we need more voices of support from outside the library walls!

By: AML

AML — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:12:48 +0000

Wow, reading this makes me feel really proud to be a librarian! I adore the Union City Library and its fearless director, Virginia!

Since you are all talking about donations, I thought I’d jump up on the soap box and add my 2-cents worth. In my very small, rural library — also in Randolph County — we have suffered from loss of funding like everyone else.

The previous posts are a testament to the charm of AnyTown, USA, the amazing way that folks rally and support good things.
The Summer Reading Program at my library is four intense weeks of programming for kids of all ages and because of budget shortcomings it is almost entirely funded by the generosity of our users, our local and regional businesses, and two local charitable sororities.

100 percent of every penny given as a gift to the Summer kids programs goes right to the needs of the kids: books, supplies, entertainment, prizes, and fun. And every volunteer helps build a community that can ask its kids, “Have you visited the library this week?”

Times are difficult right now. But I still urge you to consider that donation. Cash is great — but so is a gift of your time. Volunteer to read, help decorate for the holidays, haul stuff to the recycling center, or join the Friends of the Library! And remember, books are only of value when there is someone to read them — ask your library if they would be interested in a donation of your cast-off books for the next book sale. Like Lisa said, every contribution helps!

By: Lisa Wheeler

Lisa Wheeler — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:46:02 +0000

Kelsey, I, too, began my love affair with words at the Union City library in the big white building Andrew Carnegie’s generosity built. I hauled out armloads of books, sometimes twice a day. Would I have been a good student without a library? Would I have become a writer? Would I think, imagine, learn without a library? I don’t want to consider a world without free, public libraries. We would all be poverty stricken, sadder.

My current library is Carmel Clay Public Library, 55 4th Avenue SE, Carmel, IN 46032. What a wondrous place to spend time. There is a campaign now to have each family using the library donate $10. If everyone does this, we can make up for budget cuts. My family has already made a contribution. I hope everyone considers it, even $1. It all helps.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:13:43 +0000

San Francisco Public Library
Noe Valley branch
451 Jersey St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 355-5707

Great post!

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:40:10 +0000

Amy, Annie’s sister lives outside of the city and she has to pay several hundred dollars to use the Muncie Library. Still, she’s paying it. Libraries are a valuable privilege and it’s time that we start supporting them as such.

Toby, I think books like McClellan’s aren’t political tell-alls but political sell-outs. They could have publicly disagreed at the time, but didn’t. But once book deals are on the line, they sing like birds.

Kyle, I forgot about that. Hilarious.

Michele, keep fighting the good fight.

Jenn, Glad to see that most of the library survived Ike. It’s sad the other libraries can’t survive their reduced budgets.

Joerg, That looks like an awesome library. I think working at a library would be fun, but I would totally get lost reading and forget to work which could be a problem. Thanks for sending me your library’s address. I’ll send a letter!

Everyone: good news! The Philadelphia library system is saved! http://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/index.cfm?srch=3&postid=952

By: Joerg Metzner

Joerg Metzner — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:54:52 +0000

Kelsey,
What a great piece. Thank you. Back in high school, in a small German town I volunteered to help our local library move from its temporary location back to it’s original, now renovated, historical site. (http://www.bibliothek.osterode.de/index.shtml). After that I kept volunteering in the library. It felt like such a privilege to sort and hand out books at that library. Often, when I was supposed to put books back onto the shelves I got lost reading them and discovering more new books in the aisles. It was most exciting when we got shipments of brand new books. I can’t and don’t want to imagine a world without libraries. Go ahead and tax me.

My current public library is the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:45:16 +0000

I adore libraries. My summers were spent at the Evanston library, then later the Skokie library, the Harold B. Lee library at BYU, and the Salt Lake County Library. My mom used to pack all us kids up and we’d either ride the bus or ride our bikes to the library…pretty much my favorite place in the world when I was a kid. Our current library–the Rosenberg Libraray–is suffering post-Ike. They lost the entire children’s section! But they’re slowing coming back!

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:12:22 +0000

Great post! I’ve worked in a college library, love books, use my library system here all the time. We are experiencing cuts, as well. Hours shorter, etc. Sad!

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:36:26 +0000

I believe that Kels and I arranged the books alphabetically within “Difficulty of Reading” categories. If I recall correctly, the rating system was “E”= Easy (e.g. Little Golden Books), “H”= Hard (e.g. A Wrinkle in Time), and “HH”= Hard Hard. The Stone Flute with its 900+ pages and tiny print was the flag-bearer of our HH section. Eat your heart out Melvil Dewy!