[Winona Online Democracy]
In my opinion it should not be the roll of city or county government to fund libraries. Access to and the ability to use them are part of our life long educational experience and as such should be a part of "Community Education" which is in Minnesota facilitated by state funding to our public schools and is funded separately than General K-12 funds. Community Education has their own pool of dollars to service the needs and desires of the local community. Community Ed can also charge fees to support the programs and can expand their localization needs to fit the community. Isn't life long education part of our educational desire? If so who better to administer it, provide for it than our public school system? Where along the way did we change course and shift that roll to local, non educational government? We just might discover that cities can provide better and less expensive snow removal than schools, including school parking lots and playgrounds and the schools can do a better job at running libraries for all ages.
Paul Double Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 1:27 PM Subject: [Winona] No New Taxes Is this the specter of the future for our community and state if people continue to believe that having a few more cents in their pockets is more important than having more sense in their minds? I encourage you to read the attached article from today's Strib and consider if we are currently on this very very path that Salinas, CA finds itself. We are already experiencing reduced services from our exemplary public library, and of course I worry about the quality of education we will be providing to our children in the public school system. This is not meant to provoke argument, but thought. Are we as a society abandoning the very public institutions that have made this a great state/country? I just finished listening to an hour of the late Elmer L. Andersen on public radio and realized that we are turning away from his philosophy of public investment. I am a lifelong advocate of libraries and education, and I worry that both are increasingly considered expendable. In addition, if Salinas is successful in finding a corporate sponsor, how will that affect the diversity of books and resources that the library can offer? Vicki Englich Vu This newsSteinbeck's hometown to close all its libraries Rachel Konrad, Associated Press December 28, 2004 STEIN1228 SALINAS, CALIF. -- Mary Jean Gamble organized the John Steinbeck historical archives, supervised the Steinbeck literature collection and ranks as an authority on Salinas history and genealogy. After nearly 23 years with the Salinas Public Library, she may know more about the "Grapes of Wrath" or "Cannery Row" than anyone else in the author's hometown. So how would Steinbeck have reacted to the news that the cash-strapped city is closing its libraries in the spring? "He'd obviously be upset. He knew that literature can lift and elevate the spirit and enable humans to rise above any situation," Gamble said. Facing record deficits, the City Council voted Dec. 14 to shut all three of Salinas' libraries, including the branches named after Steinbeck and labor leader Cesar Chavez. The blue-collar town of 150,000 could become the most populous U.S. city without a public library. Salinas, nicknamed "salad bowl to the nation" for the lettuce and broccoli fields nearby, is the 1902 birthplace of the Nobel Prize-winning author of "Cannery Row" and "Of Mice and Men." Steinbeck, who died in 1968, described the region as "pastures of heaven" and memorialized Salinas in his 1952 novel "East of Eden." But after voters Nov. 2 rejected a half-cent increase in the sales tax to preserve city services, Salinas has drawn the scorn of bibliophiles around the world. Editorials in newspapers from New Zealand to London have condemned the closings. "It's embarrassing, not to mention inconvenient," said Ben Lopez, 69, who visits the Steinbeck branch at least twice a week. "Where else will I go to check out material -- Prunedale?" he said, referring to a relatively spartan branch of the Monterey County Free Libraries system. Because of Salinas' large number of poor farm workers and immigrants, the city's libraries are popular destinations for people seeking citizenship primers, literacy courses, English-as-a-second language tapes, Internet access and after-school programs. Roughly 1,900 people visit each day. "The reality is that we live in a blue-collar community where people are struggling, and they're afraid of new taxes," Mayor Anna Caballero said. Salinas is not alone. More than 1,100 libraries nationwide have cut hours or staff. All three branches in Salinas are set to close by May or June. Some residents are hoping a private donor will rescue the library. And librarians are considering seeking corporate sponsorship.
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
_______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
