It’s that time of year again. Budget time. Time to threaten those services we hold closest to our hearts.
It’s turning into a yearly dance. Last year it was the fire trucks that seemed set to take the massive hit. This year, it’s the libraries. Apparently, if we won’t allow the city to burn down, the budget decision makers think we should dumb ourselves to death.
Every year the fundamentals seem to be the first things to appear on the chopping block. If it isn’t safety that’s being threatened, it’s our children.
Yes, times are hard. No, New Yorkers are not quite finished with the effects of the recession quite yet. But no, there is no legitimate reason to threaten the libraries.
There’s something to be said for real books. The smell, the weight of them, the history and secrets they hold. Even if you’re truly against real, old-fashioned books, the library has a program – the first of its kind in a public library – that allows people to borrow pre-loaded e-readers free of charge. The library is making every effort to remain a relevant, useful, vital part of New Yorker’s lives – so why do we seem so set on trying to kill it?
Regardless of new initiatives, hands-on research is invaluable. Nothing could ever replace the knowledge gained from hours of searching patiently for that one fact that makes the whole paper click. The lessons learned through hours of trial and error are the lessons that endure.
The Internet is a wonderful, wonderful tool, but it will never replace the library experience. And it never should.
If children don’t learn which hard copies of resources are trustworthy, how will they ever tell the difference between fact and crap online? The Internet provides a nearly infinite amount of information. That’s a lot. And when the world is at your fingertips, it can be all too tempting to grab the first thing you see. Especially if no one has taught you yet that not all things in the world – not even all reference materials – are reliable.
Taking it a step further, how will these kids learn how to formulate arguments? If there’s no interactive research, no one will be showing these students how to defend their viewpoints. No one will show them how to head off their opponent’s points through research. And no one will show them what information is biased and which isn’t.
Our greatest assets – our children – are being punished, flat-out hobbled, in fact, for the poor financial management of their elders. How do we expect to remain one of the great nations of the world, if we let our centers of education slide farther and farther down a “we’ll get you later” landslide in favor of impressive-sounding projects that do nothing so much as make the rich slightly richer?
And what about all the programs that are held in the libraries? Seems easy to say, “just find another place.” But in New York City, how many places are as inexpensive and accommodating as the libraries? None. Where else in this city can one find a cheap place to gather a group? Rent isn’t free, and the added cost could be enough to take a community group under in this sort of economy.There’s a very good chance a number of these groups will just cease to exist.
The library is full of books, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a gathering place. It’s a place for adults to take English as a second language courses. A place for less-fortunate kids to use the Internet, type papers, and work with computers. It’s a place for senior citizens to learn new things, and meet new people. Thanks to a long history, libraries are known as places that will protect First Amendment rights by providing free and open access to information. In short, it is the heartbeat of our community.
In light of all this, one has to ask: why do we not have the money to run the libraries? What are we spending it on that’s more important than the pulse of our communities?
The city spent more than $130 million on the Willet’s Point redevelopment project in the last few years. The project is not going particularly smoothly at the moment, indeed it seems very likely to be one large money pit. So why spend so much there?
That $130 million would have more than covered the cuts to the libraries. It would have more than saved the firehouses. Provided funds to hire more police officers. Perhaps helped to support the area’s dieing hospitals.
But no. We spent $130 million on trying to buy chop shops away from their owners so we can build a massive convention center. No wait! A hotel. Ooo! What about a mall?
Regardless, on something designed to make the rich people richer. Sadly, this isn’t even the only project of its type eating away at these desperately-needed funds. The city budget is full of them. We are using city funds to fatten the pockets of those whose seams are already splitting from excess. And we’re using the children’s book money to do it.
Somehow, we don’t think the Cat in the Hat would approve.
