Pushing for a Ballot Measure - Measure L

well said (8.00 / 1)

"the founding of libraries was like constructing more public granaries, amassing reserves against a spiritual winter which by certain signs, in spite of myself, i see ahead."

-hadrian's memoirs, tellus stabilita

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by: wu ming @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 06:44:01 AM UTC

Thank you. (0.00 / 0)

I may snark about my job a lot, but I really absolutely love it. The LAPL has been around since 1872. And I really don't believe that it's even been in such desperate straits.
I am really hoping that the residents of the City will believe we provide a worthwhile service.  

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by: shayera @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 07:41:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Needed? (1.00 / 1)

I appreciate that we are talking about something that effects your career but really, isn't it just possible that the days where we needed a big building to house books has gone the way of the horse and buggy?    Assuming that every piece of information and knowledge is available at your fingertips via google and for a few dollars anyone can buy any book they desire from ebay, keep it as long as they want, then resell it for the same price, why should the taxpayers continue to fund libraries at all, let alone at their current capacity?

Have libraries become a place where only the homeless and latch key kids hang out?  Should the public be paying for that instead putting that money where it really belongs, in the pockets and wallets of police officers and their unions?

I can't see the electorate voting to take money from the salaries and pensions of police officers to keep a publicly funding reading room open in the days of the internet.

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by: Diego_LaPuente @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 15:18:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's a pretty ignorant statement (4.00 / 1)

Library patronage has soared over the last 3-4 years. And much of it is from people looking to borrow good old fashioned paper books.

In Seattle, one of the most high-tech populations in the country, library book circulation has been at sky-high levels for a decade.

You can either cling to your delusional fantasies, or you can accept evidence. Which will it be?

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

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by: Robert Cruickshank @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 16:40:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Actually, you're quite wrong. (4.00 / 1)

If you think the internet has all the answers, well, I have to question how much time you actually spend on the internet. As it's basically a nest of ignorance. And figuring out what's worth it requires some knowledge.

As Robert pointed out, library statistics have soared in the years of this recession.

And you think sending latchkey kids out on the streets is a good thing? Wow.  

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by: shayera @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 17:37:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It's a crucial service, and cost effective (8.00 / 1)

I'm so desperately tired of the argument that we just can't afford "frills" like libraries and that it's either libaries or public safety, as though cutting public access to information has no consequences to the common good.

The only internet access for many, crucial to today's job hunts, is found at your local library.  It's where a person can find a book and its context, too, without having to pony up tuition for the privilege.

With the flagrant ignorance on display these days, it's all the more important that somewhere there's a person, available to the general public, with the capacity to distinguish between fact, fiction, reference, opinion, history - and the capacity to provide the context of the work.  As A. Pope said, interpretation can be a bitch.  Actually he put it this way:

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

We need the libraries and the librarians more now than ever, Fox News is like an IV hook up of shallow draughts.
But then again, a peasant class trapped in ignorance works just fine for some.  

I'm union staff, but not a spokesperson for my union - all posts represent my views solely.

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by: Beth Caskie @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 18:23:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Please Do Not Vote Yes for the Overall Good of LA Citizens (0.00 / 0)

You bring up some great points and I love my local libraries but I really hope this measure does not pass.

The LA Times wrote a great opinion peace on this measure. We would all love to keep the libraries open but we have to get real. We would likely not be facing this problem if the libraries were not expanded years earlier.

"The problem with Measure L, though, is that it asks the question about library funding in artificial isolation. Dedicating more money to the library system without increasing overall city revenues means that other functions of city government will have to receive less. In the abstract, cutting library hours seems hard to defend. But what if the alternative is to hire fewer police officers, or to cut gang-intervention efforts, or to make new businesses wait longer for permits, or to close down graffiti-removal programs?"

http://articles.latimes.com/20...

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by: morrisonhotel @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 07:48:08 AM UTC

Perhaps if libraries remained open (8.00 / 2)

We wouldn't need as many police officers, gang-intervention efforts, and graffitti-removal programs.

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by: Marta Evry @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 16:27:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The difference between affect and effect (8.00 / 1)

Is the reason we still need libraries. People who read well-written books know when to use one word or the other. They are different.

I was not a latch-key kid. But I spent summers at the Redondo Beach library. I devoured that place shelf by shelf. My life-long love of reading has served me well in school and at work. It's still my favorite recreational pastime.

And, though I read a lot online, there's nothing like holding a book in bed, relaxing in the bath (where I'd be nervous about an electronic reader), on the porch swing, or curled up in front of the fireplace. I spend all day in front of a computer for work. I like to get away from the screen. I like the portability and heft of books. Sticking bookmarks in, paging back and forth if I forget something, and even the feel of turning the pages. And I like it that they work even when the power goes out or I'm not close to my DSL router.

That said, I've read enough of your posts to suspect that you're being snarky in your recommendation of where the money should go. To those of us who love libraries, it's not funny.

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by: cfinnie @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 22:51:45 PM UTC

The difference between affect and effect (0.00 / 0)

Is the reason we still need libraries. People who read well-written books know when to use one word or the other. They are different.

I was not a latch-key kid. But I spent summers at the Redondo Beach library. I devoured that place shelf by shelf. My life-long love of reading has served me well in school and at work. It's still my favorite recreational pastime.

And, though I read a lot online, there's nothing like holding a book in bed, relaxing in the bath (where I'd be nervous about an electronic reader), on the porch swing, or curled up in front of the fireplace. I spend all day in front of a computer for work. I like to get away from the screen. I like the portability and heft of books. Sticking bookmarks in, paging back and forth if I forget something, and even the feel of turning the pages. And I like it that they work even when the power goes out or I'm not close to my DSL router.

That said, I've read enough of Mr. LaPuente's posts to suspect that you're being snarky in your recommendation of where the money should go. To those of us who love libraries, it's not funny.

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by: cfinnie @ Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 22:52:37 PM UTC

In the tub (0.00 / 0)

You do realize that you will still be allowed to read a book in the tub if there were no libraries, right?

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by: Diego_LaPuente @ Mon Mar 07, 2011 at 19:59:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The difference between affect and effect (0.00 / 0)

Also, thank you for the grammar lesson.  English is not my first language and I always enjoy these little nuances of the English vernacular.

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by: Diego_LaPuente @ Mon Mar 07, 2011 at 21:10:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

English is a difficult language (8.00 / 1)

Greek is worse. But it's the only one I've studied that is more insane than English. I haven't tried Arabic, Chinese or Japanese. I like Spanish because it's phonetic. But my grammar is really awful. So I won't inflict it on you.

And, yes, I know I could still read books in the bathtub without libraries. But I get more variety from the library and the nearest bookstore is about 20 miles away from me. Amazon is closer. But the library is faster. And I'm willing to pay the taxes to have it. That way I also get to share something I enjoy with local kids who may not have a computer or Internet connection, or the money to buy the books.

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by: cfinnie @ Tue Mar 08, 2011 at 00:29:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

English (0.00 / 0)

At present we are going to present the present.

Insane language.

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by: Diego_LaPuente @ Tue Mar 08, 2011 at 00:55:19 AM UTC