Our public libraries are central to who we are as a culture. They document where we have been, where we are now and what lies ahead for us. They are accessible in ways that post-secondary institutions can only dream about. They complement our other school systems in countless ways. They are an anodyne to the superficialities we endure in broadcast media. They host informative and entertaining events. They are a warm and dry place where we can sit down without having to pay for the privilege. They open doors to a great universe of possibility. They answer questions. They keep us in touch with all the other libraries in our world. Oh, don't get me started!
The help and understanding I received from librarians when I was a small boy - precocious in some ways but terrified in others - gave me understandings that have survived to this day. I've had ample access to institutions of higher learning and the magic of the Internet but I still make the trip to the library every few weeks to see what's new, to follow my intellectual nose, to get some escapist reading, and lately, just to sit a spell in a place that respects my ruminative capacities AND my aging body. Never sell these libraries and librarians short. Public schools are exposing their students to addictive quantities of sugar, fat and salt - not enough money in the budgets, I suppose, and please note the similarity to the public lotteries and "sin taxes" that play to people's vulnerabilities when robust public investments are politically unpalatable. Never mind about art, music, drama, and sports and cut back on books and supplies - who cares if the next generation follows blindly into the ethos of "I buy, therefore I am"! Bear in mind that there will always be people who won't settle for this cultural travesty, who will find their way to our public libraries and learn that there are lessons from the past, substantial news of the day, and finer futures beckoning. Taking away access to these libraries is a stunning irresponsibility. Fred Markus, Horn Terrace, Ward Ten, in the Lyndale Neighborhood _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
