Berry on Local democracy and libraries

http://blatant.libraryjournal.com/blog/?p=22

John Berry reports on budget cuts for his home library:

Our library is probably the most used public service in Stamford, except perhaps for garbage collection and streets. It is “touched” as one Board member put it, by more citizens than nearly any other city service. The Advocate, local daily paper didn’t even mention the library in its online report of the meeting. One of the two Republicans on the Board of Finance wanted to double the library budget cut, suggesting that the library make it up with private fund raising, and citing a nearby very affluent community as an example. One of the four Democrats quickly responded that Stamford is not as affluent and our library is terribly important to our less affluenct citizens and the children. The Democrats prevailed, since they hold four of six seats on this board, but our library was injured by the blow, and probably won’t be able to expand its hours to fully serve our people.

Read the whole piece and the comments.