Library Journal Mobile
Log In  |  Register          Free Newsletter Subscription
Subscribe to LJ Magazine

Memphis City Council Stops Library Closings Plan

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 5/19/2008

  • Four of five libraries targeted should remain
  • Council says mayor didn't consult them
  • Mayor's plan for regional libraries rejected

Citing the importance of keeping neighborhood libraries open, the Memphis City Council has rebuffed Mayor Willie Herenton’s plan to close five library branches and build two larger regional branches. Council members, according to the Commercial Appeal, said the mayoral administration had not consulted them about the plan to revamp the Memphis Public Library and Information Center (MPLIC).

The closings of the branches and four community centers was to save $2 million a year. Meanwhile, Herenton asked for $1 million for land to build two new libraries, but the council budget committee said no. Herenton’s proposal relied on a March 16, 2007 citywide efficiency study, conducted by Deloitte Consulting, that recommended closings of those five libraries but suggested that resources from such closings “be dedicated to regional branches or other library system needs.” 

Council Member Bill Brown sent a letter to constituents saying he toured all the branches slated for closure and talked to patrons and employees. “I believe that libraries are extremely valuable city resources from which the citizens derive a great benefit," he wrote. "It is important to note that one of the aforementioned branches welcomed in excess of 100,000 visitors in 2007 and another is located in an area which will become increasingly more populated by young families in the immediate future. I am opposed to closing all libraries with the exception of possibly one which is in an extremely deteriorated state, and I am pursuing an alternative location for it.”

Curtis White, head of Friends of the Poplar-White Station Branch Library, told the newspaper, "I think if you cut off the access to the computers in those neighborhoods, they may not be able to go to another library." An online poll on the newspaper’s web site showed more than 90% of respondents favoring the council’s action.

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Post a comment

» VIEW ALL TALKBACK THREADS

Related Content

Related Content

 

By This Author

Sponsored Links




 
Advertisement
Sponsored Links

MOST POPULAR PAGES

More Content

  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Photos

Blogs

  • Cheryl LaGuardia
    E-Views

    November 20, 2009
    Portable Libraries, Mobile Students
    I attended this excellent ACRL-NE Information Information Technology Interest Group (ITIG) Social pr...
    More
  • Cheryl LaGuardia
    E-Views

    November 20, 2009
    Parker Library on the Web
    Corpus Christi College (Cambridge) and Stanford University Libraries recently released t...
    More
  • » VIEW ALL BLOGS RSS

Photos

  • Design Institute 2007
    December 11, 2007 at Chicago's Harold Washington Library Center:Design Institute 2007
  • Learning Gardens
    New York's GreenBranches program links the library to the street.
  • Green Picks: LBD May 2007
    Want to reduce your library's carbon footprint? Join the Cradle-to-Cradle revolution. Helen Milling shares the green products her firm is using.
Advertisements





LJ NEWSLETTERS


Booksmack
LJXpress
LJ Academic Newswire
LJReview Alert
LJ Criticas Review Alert
SLJ Extra Helping
Curriculum Connections
SLJTeen
PWDaily
Children's Bookshelf
PW Comics Week
Cooking the Books
Religion BookLine
Please read our Privacy Policy
©2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Please visit these other Reed Business sites