Were we to fold Minneapolis library into the county system, we would soon find
that the county got the best and we got the rest. City branch libraries would
soon be "unnecessary", county branches would be fat with resources. As it is,
inner city libraries have had to fight damn hard to get and keep resources just
within Minneapolis because, with the rampant classism in the library system we
are always hearing about how "those people don't read"--meaning the poor, the
immigrant, the person of color. I don't even wanna go there for the sake of
argument.
Wizard Marks, Central
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Mr. Minn is totally wrong. The downtown library is not 'duplicative,
> redundant or unnecessary', for anyone, least of all the residents of
> Minneapolis. The downtown library (the books, NOT the building) is far
> superior to the county libraries at Southdale, Ridgedale, and Brookdale..
> which may be "duplicative and redundant" of one another but county residents
> are very happy with them. Obviously city residents believe we deserve better
> library buildings too. And regarding non-residents using but not paying for
> our libraries, I believe it is a fact that more Minneapolitans go to other
> libraries, than non-Minneapolitans use Mpls. libraries.
> And as far as 'attaching' our libraries to the county, as other posters to
> this list have said, why pick on just libraries? We could have all kinds of
> presumably less redundant public services if we did as they do in Maryland
> and a few other states, which have most public services provided by
> counties, not cities: county school districts, parks, public works, police,
> fire, etc. etc. I don't recall hearing Mr. Minn arguing for turning over
> any city services to the county when he was on the council. Again, why pick
> on just libraries?
>
> Ann Wurdeman
> ECCO
