Philadelphia To Close All Public Libraries October 2nd?

[sleepy]

Is this true? All public libraries in Philly? Some folks believe this is a pressure ploy.

http://consumerist.com/5358416/philadelphia-to-close-all-public-libraries-october-2nd

Philadelphia To Close All Public Libraries October 2nd
By Laura Northrup, 5:30 PM on Sun Sep 13 2009, 20,401 views What frugal person doesn't like libraries? They're like a video store, only better. Which is why we're horrified to learn that thanks to the economic meltdown and the state of Pennsylvania's inability to pass its budget, the Philadelphia Free Library is closing on October 2nd. They'll be ending all services and programs, and closing all of the buildings. They want all of the books back, too.

Most American libraries receive funding from multiple sources; usually a combination of municipal, state, private, and sometimes federal funds. Depending on the particular mix of funding sources, and whether a library system levies its own taxes or depends on a changing budget line item, a late budget can be catastrophic. That's what's happening in Philadelphia—without their regular state aid, they can no longer function.

Meanwhile, if you live in Pennsylvania or just really love libraries, you can contact state legislators about the budget situation. Or open your own rogue library on your front lawn.

All Free Library of Philadelphia Branch, Regional and Central Libraries Closed Effective Close of Business October 2, 2009 [Free Library of Philadelphia]

 

[mrschultz]

Is this true? All public libraries in Philly? Some folks believe this is a pressure ploy.

Well, they needed a simple bill passed in Harrisburg just to allow some changes in I think taxes and pensions so they could balance the budget, but stuff got tacked on and amended to the point where now it might not pass.

But the cuts they are talking about seem way larger than what it seems like they would get from the changes the bill would allow, so closing all the libraries and the entire parks department does seem like grandstanding.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

i guess it's not the first time they've been on the brink of closing. hopefully they can be saved once again, then.

pretty insane to contemplate a major city without a library.
based on past articles i've read, it seems a vital haven and resource for thousands of city kids, helping to keep them away from less than positive influences that are all around them... just to name one benefit.

 

[faralos]

well since it IS in Philly most of the residents won't even notice the closings! actually what with the internet now, how many people still use libraries? ya' can just google whatever you want and read online or audio books.

 

[sleepy]

Not necessarily. Try Googling for a concise computer programming course, Java or C++, or for that matter any practical course of textbook learning.
Apart from schools and universities or buying books directly, the libraries and their books are still your best bet.

 

[mrschultz]

pretty insane to contemplate a major city without a library.
based on past articles i've read, it seems a vital haven and resource for thousands of city kids, helping to keep them away from less than positive influences that are all around them... just to name one benefit.

The 2 things helping keep kids away from those "less than positive influences" are the libraries and the parks, the 2 items on the chopping block.

No parks will also hurt tourism, making the budget problem even worse, center city is a nice place to walk around because of all the little parks here and there. Although it has been over 10 years since I've done any walking around in the city.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

so the proposal is to do what... turn all those mini-parks into parking lots? and what about fairmount park?

crazy times.
i go walking around lima, peru and the streets are spic and span. seemingly every couple blocks there is a little park on the corner (about a quarter the size of the mini-parks in center city philly), although they're not as lush as philly parks. and this is in a 3rd-world country, not the fifth-largest city in the US!

still... peru has deep problems with water coming up, so we'll see how long that 'advantage' lasts.

 

[faralos]

I wish philly was spic and span. Obviously you have never seen a large American city! we have some of the worst looking slums here in the good ol' US and Philly is one of the crappiest! Sure Center city is nice because of all the 'important' buildings, but go 5 blocks in any direction and we are talking about gangs, muggings, hookers, drugs, burned out buildings, etc. So philly 'ain't what she used to be'. And parks in Philly are not for walking not unless you like being mugged/ held up.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

I wish philly was spic and span. Obviously you have never seen a large American city!

who are you talking to?

the whole "crazy times" paragraph was a direct comment on the contrast between philly and lima.

...go 5 blocks in any direction and we are talking about gangs, muggings, hookers, drugs, burned out buildings, etc. So philly 'ain't what she used to be'. And parks in Philly are not for walking not unless you like being mugged/ held up.

what are your actual experiences with all those things you're complaining about?

 

[mrschultz]

so the proposal is to do what... turn all those mini-parks into parking lots? and what about fairmount park?

I think the plan is to just lay off all the workers, so the parks will simply not be maintained, I guess those that have gates will be shut. Same with the libraries, lay everyone off and close up all the buildings, no operating or salary costs. When the money comes in they would start up again.

 

[faralos]

well let's see. when I first moved to PA from 'joisey' I had a vending job we had to go into philly on a daily basis and I tell ya' I drove in NYC for over 25 years professionally and got used to it, but Philly scares me. We used to work until we would hear gunshots. That was our cue to leave! We were held up and robbed of all our tools 3 times in 4 months and our truck was broken into 5 times! we were shot at twice, so I know of what I speak!! now in NYC I was only shot at one time and that was in Brooklyn. (I had crossed into crips territory wearing the RED cap instead of my blue one (red is the 'Bloods' gangs color) I stayed at thatjob for about 1 1/2 years getting injured made me quit. So for the record Philly is MUCH worse than NYC...

 

[faralos]

I speak from personal experience!!!

well let's see. when I first moved to PA from 'joisey' I had a vending job we had to go into philly on a daily basis and I tell ya' I drove in NYC for over 25 years professionally and got used to it, but Philly scares me. We used to work until we would hear gunshots. That was our cue to leave! We were held up and robbed of all our tools 3 times in 4 months and our truck was broken into 5 times! we were shot at twice, so I know of what I speak!! now in NYC I was only shot at one time and that was in Brooklyn. (I had crossed into crips territory wearing the RED cap instead of my blue one (red is the 'Bloods' gangs color) I stayed at that job working in Philly for about 1 1/2 years; getting injured made me quit. So for the record Philly is MUCH worse than NYC...
am having a problem with the posts (obviously) they keep on either crashing or posting twice!

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

I think the plan is to just lay off all the workers, so the parks will simply not be maintained, I guess those that have gates will be shut.

hmm... no workers to tend the parks = no cleanup of potential hazards like fallen tree limbs or broken concrete structures. meaning potential lawsuits, no?

So for the record Philly is MUCH worse than NYC...

that has been my impression as well for a number of years.

as for your experiences, thatnks for sharing. things like vending jobs, pizza delivery and carrying desirable tools are crime targets, though. also, there's the factor of location. i've lived in center city and west philly and walked around a lot in south philly and had very little problems with anyone. of course i'm a young-looking male and am in good health superficially, and those are not the highest target factors. my old roommate from the last decade was mugged a couple times in those same areas, but he was clearly middle-aged and not in good shape. when you're in a risky neighborhood it's best to behave like you belong IME.

 

[mrschultz]

Well, this afternoon the senate dropped their amendments and passed the original bill. So the libraries and parks are saved...