24 hour dorman
Column — Relevance of Libraries
Posted on Oct 22, 2009 by Todd Dorman.
City council candidate Chuck Swore said he nearly had a “heart attack” when he heard a new public library might cost $45 million. That’s some pretty dramatic sticker shock.
“We don’t need the same kind of library,” Swore said at a candidate forum. “The Gazette can tell you that. People don’t read the same way they used to read. They go online. You can go online and get about any book you want.”
Swore’s right about the fading fortunes of newsprint. But he’s wrong about the fading relevance of libraries.
I don’t like picking on Swore. I know he wants to spend tax money wisely. So do I.
We can have a debate on how much needs to be spent on a new facility to replace the flooded central library, on top of state and federal bucks. We can argue locations, timelines, amenities and parking.
But I hope we steer clear of arguments that we should downsize our ambitions because libraries are somehow a less-than-necessary, bygone relic.
In fact, I’d argue that in this dazzling, dizzying digital age, they’re more important than ever.
Earlier this month, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation released a sweeping report titled “Informing Communities — Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age.” It argues that the health of America’s democracy and communities rests on plugging troubling gaps between the nation’s information haves and have-nots. Access to broadband Internet, for example, is a luxury for most low-income households. And that access gap leaves many on the political, social and economic sidelines.
Libraries, the report contends, should become vital centers for digital and media training. They should also serve as highquality online access hubs and central sources for civic information.
“Digital access is essential to first-class citizenship in our society,” said Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation president and CEO. “If a job application at Walmart or McDonald’s must be made online, how can we pretend that we have equal opportunity if significant portions of our communities don’t have access? Libraries can be part of the solution.” Unlike newspapers, circulation at libraries is steadily growing. Between 1998 and 2008, visits to Iowa libraries rose 41 percent and the number of cardholders jumped 22 percent.
Roughly 2 million Iowans have active library cards.
Although numbers for the fiscal year that ended June 30 are still being compiled, State Librarian Mary Wegner said all evidence points to more increases. Iowans are voting with their feet. Candidates should take note.
■ Contact the writer at (319) 398-8452 or todd. dorman@gazcomm.com
It's absolutely amazing the amount of time and money spent on discussing what to do with the precious library. How many debates and arguments in meetings, bot public and private. How much publicity in this paper and local tv stations reporting on it. And then lets compare the amount of time and interest invested in dicussing the fate of our still-absent central fire station. Where the H*LL are our priorities? Voters, ask yourselves why the library receives so much <unwarranted> attention? Likely because its the "anchor" of a few dreamer's vision of the revitalized downtown cultural arts district – priorities indeed…
Not everything is on line. There are not people trained to root out a reference a few steps away and face to face on line. Some older, obscure, especially local material, that was washed away is not easily replaced, if at all.
The library needs replacing and not where it will happen again to satisfy the dreamers and real estate owning schemers fixated on downtown.
People really need a library to get info they can't get anywhere else, and the city really needs a library so they can make money off the parking meters.
library's (like newsprint) will become irrelevant within the next 50 years. there are so many new E-book readers coming out that the price will eventually drop that everyone will have them, much like TV's and cell phones have.
why would you go to a library when the library can be delivered to you. liquid ink,color readers and wireless delivery make print an unnecessary waste.
Sounds right, but I have to ask. If a low income family can't afford to buy the books they want to read, how are they going to pay for E-book readers.
Also keep in mind, in general you have to buy books you put on those readers. A point Swore may have missed. Sure, there's a lot of free stuff, but its either not the stuff you see in the library or its being downloaded illegally.
1. how do low income family's afford cell phones,Tv's and playstations ? once the price comes down it will be widely available to anyone who wants it.
2. there are plenty of free books. so much in fact that Google has them listed separately http://books.google.com/books. i agree that the DRM on e-readers is a joke, like the amazon kindle. but as more people come on then the system will open up and books will drop in price. there are 5 new e-readers coming out this year, so dont buy a kindle just yet. barnes& noble have a new one, sony and asus is coming out with a new one.
3. as i said, within 50 years. in the mean time it might not be the best idea to build a new state of the art library when you only need a temporary one. i also said before, buy some building near the ghetto hy-vee and use that as your library until we get over this digital gap.
I so miss the library…the experience of wandering the racks of books, thumbing through pages…it was my favorite winter-time activity…not everyone likes the e-books. The loss of the library was the greatest tragedy of this flood, imo.
A dizzying lack of vision and forsight there Lobosolo.
I'm with you Ann, I miss the library very much I went there year around. I do go to the temporary facility at Westdale, but it doesn't compare with what we had before.
The Ghetto Hy Vee? You actually said that in public? Wow.
My kids liken the Westdale library experience as being more like walking into a budget book store than a library. I'm not trying to belittle all the effort that's gone into getting the library running as well as it is, I'm just pointing out its not the experience most of us have grown accustomed to when walking into a library.
are you two homeless ? wandering around aimlessly in the library is no was to spend your day.
Are you the local entertainment coordinator? If not, why not just let others decide how they want to spend their time.
I use the Library at least once a week, but I'll be the first to admit that it is a low priority compared to other necessities. Its a nice thing to have but at what cost? Why do we need a 45 million dollar library? What can be done to make it more self sufficient? In pre-flood years what was the annual cost to taxpayers to run our city libraries? If wedivided that amount by the number of households in CR would it be a reasonable amount to pay? Its time to make some hard decisions before we dump any more money into what might be an unsubstainable black hole.
no, i'm just paying for them to screw around in the library all day in the way of taxes.
Just because you have clearly never cracked a book, doesn't mean you should berate those of us who do read.
Let's see….if libraries are not necessary because of the digital age, what about teachers? Can't students learn from computers? If you don't need books, you don't need teachers, right? That would save a lot of money. Regardless, libraries are an essential part of a community. Where else can you get that amount of information for free? What if you don't have a computer? You can access one at the library. What if you need tax forms? You can get one at the library. People of all ages use the library. Maybe we don't need a 45 million dollar library, but we still need one. Mr. Swore, you should try the library. It's a great place to visit.
The livery stable is now the garage. It contains cars.
I don't live in Cedar Rapids, but in my community the library is heavily used – by people of all ages and for a variety of purposes. I see people reading newspapers, magazines, checking out books and movies and using the computers. I use it myself frequently. While not poor, I'm not rich either – once I've paid the mortgage, utilities, car payment, groceries, insurance and deposited into the college and retirement funds I don't always have enough left over to buy books or movies. The library is a nice alternative to be able to access those things. It's also a place where people can go to use a computer to apply for jobs or do their homework if they don' t have one at home. And yes, I've seen people doing both. Does it need to be a 45 million dollar library? Heck if I know – I don' t know how much it costs to buy land and construct a building. Perhaps the plan should be scaled back, but it shouldn't be scrapped altogether.
A library is a lynch pin in our democracy. Everywhere I go I see new libraries cropping up in cities large and small. Burlington, Anamosa, Independence, Monticello, Iowa City, North Liberty, and many more find it necessary to have this resource. All the while we dither about trying to piece meal space that is inadequate and avoid doing what is needed. Have we turned the clock back to the days of the original Carnegie library? To a time when the women in this city, who had not yet earned the right to vote, worked diligently to get a public library for all, while the men in leadership drug their feet. This town once was a powerhouse of progress; now it looks and feels like the most backwards and provincial place in Iowa. Certainly as second largest city we can do better.
Old retirees like to go to libraries ,to browse through the books also.
He is a republican, they are only good at berating others.
It is a ghetto hy vee because they make it that by cheating their customers. They sell spicy chicken wings for 4.99 and the other hyvees sells the same wings for 3.99.
Who made you God? What business is it of yours how others spend their time? There are people who in the past spent days in the library because it was the only way for them to get an education. Making such comments befits the character of someone with a very small mind, malevolent and malicious.
Face it folks, libraries help support responsible people who wish to better themselves in one way or another. And that concept certainly doesn’t fit in with our current politicians’ seemingly overwhelming desire to do nothing but pander to their pathetic welfare-sucking base of voters.
No, not homeless and I am gainfully employed. I think I'll quit my job and go on welfare just to irritate you.
I'd be glad to pay some taxes for you to go to the library and learn a little something.
Many people have put that opportunity to good use in their lives.
You must be talking about those CEO's again.
Is that all you can think about? Please grow up and get a real life.
This explains why they think the ecomy crashed because of Obama. This disdain for libraries is the root cause of their beliefs.
Do you really think he could learn anything, anywhere????
No. As you can see, he has issues with places that contain books.
too late…. zing !