If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
I live across the street from a library, or at least what used to be a library. The Donnell Library on West 53rd Street. Today, it is a big hole in the ground.
If someone too poor or otherwise unable to buy a specific product is given that product for free, has the product's creator lost a sale?
Pew found that 91 percent of Americans (16 or older) say that public libraries are important to their communities, and 76 percent say libraries are important to them and their families. I can't think of another idea, place, or issue that 91 percent of Americans support.
A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination.
Libraries are necessary to support these dreams, since they are the public institutions that new Americans and diverse groups rely on the most to support continued education, and English language and technology skills needed to thrive and compete in today's competitive global market.
To the surprise of many readers, public library e-book "shelves" now sport gaping holes. The Witness by Nora Roberts? Unseen. The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark? Missing. Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs? DOA.
Google has not killed the library and ebooks won't do it either. The biggest threat to the public library in American culture is limited hours.
In our schools today, there are many Mrs. Spicers, teachers who work away from the spotlight, going about the business of inspiring their students to aspire to greatness. This is especially true of our school librarians.
Revenue-challenged local governments have cut back on contributions to library budgets -- at a time when libraries are being asked to perform a new and changing range of functions.
People depend on libraries now more than ever. I see three big goals for libraries: provide engaging learning experiences, become community anchors, and provide access to content even as the devices for accessing that content change rapidly.
Libraries can be an office, a gallery, a performance space, even a studio. Take, for example, the ArtWalk gallery space in the Hartford Public Library in Hartford, CT which will be featured on the site soon. It's a gorgeous, spacious exhibition area attached to the library.
Urban Librarians Unite started as a way to get librarians to exchange ideas. Over time, we've cultivated an effective mix of Social Media and old fashioned advocacy. The stereotype of the quiet, meek librarian has given us a lot to play with.
As the leader of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and an educator, I am struck by the lack of support for school libraries from federal and local governments. Do decision makers fully realize how their lack of support will hinder the education of America's next generation?
As time goes by, and our reliance on electronic gadgets increases, there will be less funding provided for our beloved brick-and-mortar establishments. We must never let this happen.
Libraries provide an anchor of stability for millions of Americans tightening their financial belts during these tough economic times. As our nation - indeed the world - struggles to emerge from this economic crisis, we cannot afford to close the books on libraries.
If information is power, then public libraries are the essence of democracy and freedom. Yet they are under threat from a litany of cuts.
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AMERICANAHby Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A GUIDE TO BEING BORNby Ramona Ausubel
THE GOLEM AND THE JINNIby Helene Wecker
Published on April 23rd, 2013
LIFE AFTER LIFEBy Kate Atkinson
