Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cutting off your nose to spite your face
Ok, so I admit that this might not be the most apt metaphor; I used my own alternate suggestion as the title of this post. That said, I absolutely agree that cutting library hours, staffing, and entire branches during a recession is a terrible idea. Libraries do a lot more than provide free novels to entertain us. They offer job search resources to those who can't afford it elsewhere. They offer training classes to give people critical skills. They serve as community centers and hubs for information. When resources are scarce, as they are now, it's important to carefully weigh decisions about what gets cut and what gets funded. Libraries might seem like an easy choice to cut but when you think about their true impact on the community, there's more than meets the eye. No matter what decisions your community, state, or country is faced with, take a moment to think through what we really lose when programs are cut.
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2 comments:
Here here! I heart my library.
When you have no more money coming in, you can't keep current spending levels...and I think we would all agree with that. Otherwise we get into deficit spending, which local municipalities are not able to do. It's a crappy situation no matter how you look at it.
When times get tough something has to give. And no matter what cuts you make, someone will be pissed off.
What other social programs should be cut instead? And "none" is not the pragmatic answer.
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