I sent around some email about the Buffalo PL crisis yesterday and got this interesting note back from a Buffalo non-librarian resident.
Category: libcrisis
libraries in Buffalo are more popular than ever, so why are they closing?
You can’t put it more plainly than this “After January 1, 2005: Your Library Will Close” Buffalo and Erie County NY libraries are looking at 80% budget cuts. They have very good advocacy pages set up like this “contact your legislature” page, but is it too late? I know that sometimes libraries consider closing [along with turning off the OPAC] as a tactic to raise awareness of funding cuts and their affect on libraries, but having a budget that is cut 80% really does seem like an irrecoverable budget slashing, doesn’t it? The budget is being debated and acted on this week, contact your local officials. As a side note, do you know why the county needs more money? It’s not because citizens are getting a tax break, it’s to cover rising Medicare costs.
AK state library drastically cuts hours
State Library Illnesswatch: Alaska State Library hours are being cut in half though they’re still available full time via phone and [I’m guessing] email.
Save and Burn, a film about the destruction of libraries
Film librarian Steve Fesenmaier has written a lengthy review of the film “Save and Burn” about the destriction of libraries and the corresponding destruction of culture. Can anyone help me track down independent information about this film other than this review and the posts that cite it?
Providence Library Defense
Also from the Juice, and many other places, the Providence Public Library workers who are incensed over staff layoffs and administrator pay raises now have a snappy website and URL.