Desperate times call for desperate measures, but a proposal to close nearly 40 percent of neighborhood libraries as part of an overhaul to the Boston Public Library seems a bit too drastic.
Alternative plans call for limited hours at all 18 of the 26 locations, leaving those libraries affected with hours slashed anywhere from 50 to 85 percent, with some libraries open just one to three days per week. Though this plan would leave the eight larger libraries open with the same hours, the result would be a loss of hundreds of hours of public library access per week. The more feasible plan, it seems, would be to close eight to 10 libraries in Boston and redistribute both focus and funds to the remaining locations.
Though the financial pressure the libraries must feel is certainly understandable, the fact that the state does not see this as an area for assistance is not. What’s worse: a 73 percent drop in funding from 2009 to 2011, leaving the state’s assistance for Boston libraries at a mere $2.4 million compared to last year’s $8.9 million.
If this country ever has any hope of getting out of this mess of a recession, we must arm ourselves with an education, something near-impossible without the wealth of knowledge a free and accessible public library offers.
Sure, technology has warped our traditional ways of learning, and certainly people are looking elsewhere for the same resources a library can provide out of sheer convenience, but those who are pinching pennies or live in urban areas don’t always have access to a computer or the Internet at home. People forget that libraries do not just provide free book, movie and music rentals &- entertainment aside, they provide services that can help the unemployed find jobs, or give opportunity for the uneducated to learn. Libraries are a core part of any American’s success story, and if we as a nation would like for the American dream not to survive, we need to make sure our libraries stick around, too.
If the state wants to cut corners, it should look elsewhere. Libraries are for everyone, and without them and their open access and frequent availability, we’re taking not one, but two steps backward.
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