New Twist: Philadelphia Branches Slated for Closing Are De Facto School Libraries
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 12/16/2008
- Public libraries serve as school libraries
- Closure plan ignored schools
- In editorial, newspaper urges caution
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter seems steadfast in his plan to close 11 branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) by the end of the year, a plan endorsed by FLP director Siobhan Reardon, but library advocates have presented another argument against the closure, and the Philadelphia Inquirer agrees.
"[T]he Nutter administration ignored a crucial piece of information: In many cases, public libraries are the de facto school libraries for children and teachers in Philadelphia," the Inquirer said in a December 14 editorial.
"Years of budget cuts have left many public city schools without libraries - a separate disgrace. That has meant sending students and classes to the local public library - including some of the 11 branches targeted for closure - during the school day," the editorial continued.
Given that Reardon confirmed "that this crucial detail wasn't part of the budgeting discussion," the Inquirer concluded, "that severely undermines what initially appeared to be a thorough analysis of which library branches to close." At the very least, the newspaper opined, the closure plan should be delayed.
Alternatives?
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Daily News, in an editorial December 15, has criticized the unwillingness of City Council president Anna Verna to hold hearings, requested in a nonbinding resolution passed by the council, regarding the library closure plan.
Also, Amy Dougherty, president of the library's Friends group, says the group requests "a moratorium on library closures combined with temporary, across-the-board service reductions spread across all branches through this fiscal year, which ends June 30."
