Yay. Close the libraries!!!

[jamoo]

That is really fucking sad. I feel VERY fortunate to live where I live. This is our new library.

Nice. Your old downtown library was a bit dogged, facility-wise.

I spend a slew of time here:








don't know these people

It's probably the best library I've been in. There's a city branch almost as nice up the street. Closing libraries = dumbness.

[wing]

it's cool checking out books in a lot of the new libraries here... you just walk into this space age pod and it scans all your books for you-- no stamping system or anything. kinda sci fi in a way.

[thunderboy]

If not reading books is good enough for the President of the United States of America, then it's good enough for you. Now get back to work, drones!

jt

[wing]

I wholeheartedly believe in the power that lies within books and reading them... but does anyone have scientific reasoning behind it? It's not that I need to be convinced; it's actually that I'd like to have more scientific factual evidence as to why reading is good for you when I am faced with these library shutting down jerks and other people who don't like to read, I can be like BOOYAH ROCK THESE FACTS IN YOUR FACE LIL BIATCH!

[Bear]

The thing that bothers me so much about this scenario is that libraries have always been one of the major staples of civilized society ... that knowledge is free to all. It's bad enough that people don't read, but it's removing an imprtant symbol of progress and, though this word has all but lost it's meaning lately, freedom.

Maybe Bradbury was writing prophecy. Bring out the firemen.

[bobbydj]

The other thing is that even when libraries remain open and pretty much free from the threat of closure, other changes may be afoot. What I'm getting at is that at the biggest library in our city (which btw is fucking SMALL, imo) has kind of rejigged its (ahem) "mission." If I went in there 10 years ago I could take out the 1st 2 vols of Capital, or Marcuse's "3 Dimensional Man." But the stock and general orientation has changed markedly from one of educational resource to "infotainment." Now yeah ok. Whatever. What really gets me though is that for quite a few months (a few years ago) every time I went in they were selling off the heavy stuff. And at such ludicrously giveaway prices. I got a SHITLOAD of hardback non-fiction. These things were going for =50 cents each!! Every single time I went I was coming out with armloads full of books. I mean, I had to make 3 trips to carry this shit out. It was insane. I felt guilty. One book was an autobiographical account of WWI. A fantastic book and one that is apparently incredibly difficult to find now. This is just fucking wrong.

[Tim Casey]

they took one look at bush and thought "now here's someone who's intellectual, who has an ivy league degree, who can speak smoothly and intelligently, what could he say that would interest me?" i was about to sneeze at the time but i ended up laugh-sneezing and some snot/spit got on the dashboard and steering wheel.

Congratulations! In the act of snotting on your dashboard, you've actually accomplished more good for the world in one second than Bush has in four years!

[jamoo]

If not reading books is good enough for the President of the United States of America, then it's good enough for you. Now get back to work, drones!

I have to say this. The president seems to address the public almost every day. What has happened is, his innaneness-below-commentworthiness is so prolific, the mass media doesn't even bother anymore.

Anyway, recently he claimed to read regularly on the topic U.S. history -- in the evenings, I think I heard 30 pgs. or so before counting sheep. This is one of his two mentioned "simple pleasures" that he affords himself, because of the rigors of his job.

Obviously he's reading to put himself to sleep, because the informational content doesn't show up. Alas, it could just be a conspiracy to cover up the fact that he's as ignorant as we think he is.

The other simple pleasure is playing with his dog.

Here boy.

[the velour fog]

the main library in my town just got cut down to being open 4 days a week, but there's some branches that are only open two days a week. frickin sucks.

[wing]

It is a dream of mine that if someday I have lots of extra money and I am a philanthropist of sorts, I will open up the world's most ultimate library-- it would have not only books, but tons records too.

I'm serious... if I had the money, I would do it in a heartbeat.

[Rigsby]

My Uni library had an awesome record collection, used to have a smoke in the grounds and head up there to play various jazz and avant-classical things on headphones. Lovely times.

I'm in the library again ...libraries rule.

Ciao bella.

[craigloom]

I owe a lot to Libraries. Not just all the free ka-nowledge. I worked in libraries for ten freakin years. Got me through college and paid the bills when I was a musician in Boston. i was kinda bummed that I had to leave the Library here at UVa but the pay was impossible to live off of. Also, believe it or not, the staff in my department were total dolts. Idiotic SUV driving drones who collected beanie babies and furbies and watched Everybody Love Raymond. They obviously did not take advantage of their surroundings.

Man this post sounds kinda pretentious. Sorry...

[Tim Casey]

I would imagine stuff like this will only get worse. Didja see the Budget that Bush The Impaler released? He's cutting education. I can see why - he never got much out of it....

Hey, wait a minute - wasn't he supposed to be boosting education? Could he possibly have LIED again?

[Wire]

What's a library???

[A.L.]

Salinas is my hometown, I lived there for 17 years.

About four years ago they built a multi-million dollar Steinbeck center / museum to attract tourism.

I spent many many hours in that library as a kid