Our Public Library Lifeline Is Fraying. We'll Be Sorry When It Snaps
Kudos to the either Art Brodsky or an editor at Huffington Post who wrote a great headline.
Art Brodsky, Chairman, Montgomery County [MD] Library Board has written a column for The Huffington Post:
He discusses the situations are several library systems around the country, talks about the situation in the D.C. area where he is Chairman of the Montgomery County Library Board and also across the Potomac River in Fairfax County, VA.
The article is both informative and depressing but in the library world these days, that's unfortunately all that unusual.
Here are two paragraphs from Mr. Brodsky's column:
But it would be a mistake to say that the Internet replaces libraries. It doesn't. It's an adjunct. More than one budget officer has said that people don't need libraries because they can go online. First, many people can't go online due to their economic circumstances. Second, librarians help to guide research. A simple online search will not always achieve desired results, as anyone who does this well knows. And libraries still have those quaint old things called books, many of which aren't online. The printed medium still has a lot of attraction for many, from the youngest readers whose parents check out armloads of picture books, to the serious readers and researchers who realize there is more to find than what's online.
It would also be a mistake to say that bookstores replace libraries. Nothing against bookstores, but they aren't a public resource. Quite obviously, who have to pay to enjoy the fruits of a bookstore. Libraries are there for everyone.
We're also very pleased to see that he mentions that Keith Richards. His has a longing to be a librarian is interesting but something that very few sites posted about (ResourceShelf was one of them) his view of the library in general.
Keith Richards says:
"When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser."
Source: The Huffington Post Blog
Note from Gary: As a resident of Montgomery County, MD and a library user, I hope to have a chance to chat with Mr. Brodsky and look at a few of these issues in greater depth.
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