> Vicky Heller wrote: and Carol Becker responds:
> Fifty years ago, the population in Minneapolis was 200,000 higher. True but in 1900 the region's population was about 600,000 people and now it is about 3 million. And people actually do come into Minneapolis for services. And we have had pretty much the same population for the last 25 years, a much more relevant time frame than 50 years ago. In the last 25 years, we have gone through several recessions also, and have gone through the same tough times. But we as a community have chosen to keep the libraries even through those tough times because they are valuable instutions to our city. > There were few sources for books and periodicals.....no one imagined > the power and magnitude of the internet and the publishing industry. Exactly the point. There are more books being published today than were in the past. Also, there is more diversity in the population, which leads to the need for a more diverse collection. Also, the internet is accessed by many people at the public library, often their only access to it. > Fifty years ago, City spending and debt service was not spiraling out > of control. Fairly tired of folks saying this when it simply isn't true. City spending has not been spiraling out of control. The budgets remained balanced despite the state chopping away at the City's revenue sources and redistributing them to the rich. And the City still retains a AAA bond rating, something it simply could not do if its debt service was spiraling out of control. > No one is proposing that the library system be abandoned -- just > reduced to reflect fewer people, fewer schoolchildren, and more > alternative sources of information -- including the Hennepin County > Library System. Or should they be upgraded to reflect the power and magnitude of the internet and the publishing industry as Ms Heller pointed out earlier? Buildings that were not built to accomodate computers, for example, need upgraded power and communications wiring and larger spaces to accomodate computers. Collections, although weeded periodically, continue to grow as the community becomes more diverse. And publishers are publishing more books, books that need a space to be. Also, I think it needs to be aknowledged that Hennepin County (and the University of Minnesota picking up a thread from another post) has a different collection. Frankly, the suburbs are much more homogenous than Minneapolis and has a collection that has more popular culture items and fewer of the diversity and educational items that Minneapolis has. And for anyone who thinks that the University library system can substitute for a public library, just go and try to find Patricia Cornwell or Harry Potter at the University library. These libraries, with their different focuses, cannot meet the needs of Minneapolis residents as well as the Minneapolis libraries do. And at some level, this whole arguement is spurious as I know that I have gone to suburban libraries when I have needed materials that were in Minneapolis and I have gone to Minneapolis when the materials I need are there. I have even gone to the college libraries when the materials I need are there. As a patron, it is all transparent even though the collections are not the same. > Do any other cities have redundant library expenditures? This is a > serious question: In Minnesota, do counties usually fund libraries, > or cities? Are there any other cities within Hennepin or Ramsey > Counties that have extra library systems? Minneapolis funds Minneapolis libraries. Hennepin County funds all libraries outside of Minneapolis. There is no redundency. There is no "extra" here. St Paul funds St Paul libraries. Ramsey County funds libraries outside St Paul. No redunency there either. > How does the Library Board spend the $2+ million per month that was > budgeted for this year? Is it primarily for payroll? http://www.mplib.org/budget_030724.asp The total 2003 revised budget was $22,913,781. Of this, $15,460,916 was for personnel. $2,016,439 was for collections. Carol Becker Longfellow REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
