Closing Libraries

At the BCCLS System Council yesterday representatives from the 75 libraries that form our cooperative voted to suspend the borrowing privileges of Northvale citizens. The reason: Northvale citizens have voted not to fund their small library and probably soon will close it entirely. Perhaps you have been following the story in the Record.
And then my cousin forwarded me the link to this NPR article on "A Country Without Libraries."
Closing Libraries - is it the right thing to do? I understand taxpayers want to avoid increases in taxes, but at what cost?

Neil Gaiman talks about libraries

Nat Geo Music

This one is for fun, and some cross-cultural exposure as well. The theme of the library's summer reading program is "One World, Many Stories." And music is one way to tell a story, so click on over to Nat Geo Music, and listen to music from around the world. We don't guarantee you'll like all of it, but we think you'll enjoy the adventure!

5 Myths About the 'Information Age"

From The Chronicle Review

Confusion about the nature of the so-called information age has led to a state of collective false consciousness. It's no one's fault but everyone's problem, because in trying to get our bearings in cyberspace, we often get things wrong, and the misconceptions spread so rapidly that they go unchallenged. Taken together, they constitute a font of proverbial nonwisdom. Five stand out: read more

The Library Card As A Pop-Culture Fiend's Ticket To Geek Paradise

NPR blogger Linda Holmes discovers her local library....and we can't figure out why she wasn't a library user all along!
After discussing the many things she found in the library she concludes:
Is that it? It's ... not remotely. They had magazines, they did have encyclopedias and research materials, obviously, and basically, if you have a small child, they will do everything short of holding your kid by his feet and dipping him in fonts of wisdom. There's story time, there are tutoring rooms (which were in use when I was there), there's a book club (they're reading As I Lay Dying at the moment), and OH RIGHT, it's staffed with people who clearly would really like it if you came up and asked them questions about books or anything else.

The point I'm trying to make is that as a pop-culture-adjacent person, you may think that public libraries are not particularly relevant to you. But I felt like since we've talked about movie pricing, e-book pricing, and a lot of other business models, it was only fair to bring to your attention my experience with this bizarre business model that's so crazy it just might work.

You'll enjoy reading the entire post so click to read.

What Will Happen When the Librarians Are Gone?

Elegy for librarians After all the budget cutting's done, who'll be around to help us ask the sharper questions?

Libraries Break Out: line item shows small cost for big service

A March 31, 2011 editorial in the Bergen Record comments that "PROPERTY TAX bills will have a new line item, and, in this case, it’s a good thing. Towns will now break out the amount paid toward their municipal or joint public libraries in the same way other towns provide a separate line for their contributions to county libraries. The law was signed by Governor Christie last week.

Library funding is a very small part of a municipal tax bill. Residents will see this clearly with the new layout. But local libraries’ diminutive cost relative to schools, police and the rest, belies their outsized contribution to their communities. They are community center, coffee klatch, job center, classroom and newsstand rolled into one. They provide a safe place for children after school, and a space for adults to relax during the day. Some host free tax preparers for older adults. Others host English classes for their newest residents. A public library is a concrete expression of civic values. And separating its cost from the general tax levy will drive home its bang for the buck."

Read the entire editorial