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Southern Oregon loses libraries
Categories: Places To Go, Education, That's Entertainment
As of April 7, Jackson County in Southern Oregon will have no libraries. Due to cuts in federal funding, the county will close all fifteen branches of its library system leaving many patrons in rural areas out in the cold. This makes it the largest library system shutdown in the United States. Last fall, Congress decided not to reauthorize $400 million in subsidies for rural communities in 41 states. Oregon took the largest hit -- $150 million -- resulting in a $7 million loss of funding for the libraries.Compare that $400 million dollars -- an annual amount -- to the cost of the war in Iraq which, as of last September, was approaching $2 billion (yes, that's billion with a B) per week, according to a congressional study. I guess instead of sending kids to the library after school, we can just send 'em off to Iraq. Heck, we could skip the whole school thing all together and save even more money!
And before anyone makes the claim that books are obsolete and that libraries are therefore unneeded, remember that libraries today do much, much more than just loan out books. "Libraries are so much more than just libraries in rural areas. This is where all the town meetings are held, where all the kids come after school, where everything -- everything -- happens," said Ted Stark, interim library director for Jackson County.
"There's something magical about the public library -- those moments when you help a kid find a book on wolves, or someone comes in with a family member whose just been diagnosed with something and they need help finding information," said Luke Kralik. Kralik just earned his master's degree in library science so he could work in the new Medford Central Library. "I can't imagine what it would be like if that were gone."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Molly 3-06-2007 @ 9:06PM
I actually cried when I read this story. A lifetime reader and lover of learning lead me to become a librarian five years ago, so stories like this hit me on a personal and professional level.
Many people seem to think that libraries are an optional component to communities. Why pay tax dollars for a library when you can find what you need at a bookstore or online? But, that ignores the millions of people who don't have the money to purchase books or don't have access to the internet except at their local library.
I really don't know what I'd do if I found out that my local library was going to close. Where would I take my daughter for story time? Could I afford to purchase the 60 to 70 books I read a year?
It makes me sad that communities and the government can let something so important just go away.
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Shay 3-07-2007 @ 12:37AM
I grew up in Jackson County, and I've been following this issue through the papers and through my parents, who still live in the area. In reading the local paper I've found that some peoples' attitudes towards the library closure is simply terrible; some people feel that since they do not use the library, they should not have to pay the taxes that go to support it. People also remarked on the fact that a number of years ago, money had gone to rebuild a number of the county's old libraries, which they apparently viewed as a waste of funds. Most of those old libraries were either in a sorry state of repair, or too small to contain its collection of books. There was a levy on the county ballot in November which would have allocated funds to keep the libraries open, at least for awhile, but it was voted down. I now live in northern Oregon, where the existence of the libraries is not in jeopardy, but I'm saddened by the fact that the small Carnegie library I remember from childhood will no longer be open. I remember going to storytime there with my mother, I remember sitting on the floor reading picture books. I can even recall getting my first library card there, which my mother tells me happened when I was four. This is merely a part of the trend that is taking money away from public services, at least here in Oregon. Already public health services have been whittled down to the point that mentally ill people have been forced onto the streets when the state-run hospitals shut down. I hope very much that this trend will eventually reverse, but for now, it's so sad to see my home county and state descending to this level.
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Casse 3-07-2007 @ 10:54AM
Molly - All the major books chains allow refunds or exchanges. Just take back the books when you're finished, and get new ones. Just like a library! =)
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