Los Angeles closes the book on local libraries
Ariel Edwards Levy | 7-19-2010 | Comments |
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Librarian and children’s author Erica Silverman stood on the steps outside downtown’s Central Library with one request: open the door."For 178 years, the doors of this library have been open to all,” she said. “But not today."
Facing a severe budget crisis, the city is shutting down all of its 73 libraries on Sundays and Mondays. It’s the first time in the branch’s history that it has been closed on a non-holiday Monday, employees said.
"A room without a book is like a body without a soul," said poet Imani Tolliver. Hear part of her ode to libraries and see photos of the protest Monday morning:
Although closed, the library was far from empty. Librarians and other protesters gathered outside to call for its reopening, their speeches frequently punctuated by car horns honking in support.
For many, the issue was personal.
"This library helped make my childhood dream come true," Silverman said, calculating that she’d taken out more than $338,000 worth of books to learn how to write for children. "You have to love an institution that gives so much and takes so little."
Mystery writer Naomi Hirahara also recalled spending time in libraries as a child.
"My world opened up in a library," she said. "As a daughter of an immigrant, I remember going, actually at this time of the year, and participating in the summer book program, with [stacks of] books higher than I was."
As an adult, she said, she realized that libraries served a broader community purpose.
"Libraries are no respecter of persons," she said. "That’s why I love them so much. They serve the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. They serve anybody that goes through their doors, and I think that’s why it’s essential that we keep those doors open six days a week, if not more."
Virginia Walter, an author and retired librarian and professor, agreed.
"I believe public libraries are our last, best hope for creating an educated, informed, and civil society," she said.
She was especially concerned about the effect the closures could have on children.
"Children can’t wait," she said. "A six-year-old whose parents can no longer take him to the public library because of the shortened hours may lose his reading skills over the summer. He’ll have to start all over again in the fall. And by the time he’s nine, he may have fallen so far behind that he will never catch up. That’s a tragedy, and one that the public library can help avert."
More than 15 libraries no longer have children’s librarians, and more have no teen specialists, she said.
"Children’s librarians are trained to find the right book for the right child at the right time," said Walter. "They know how to talk to children to find out what that book will be that will open the key to reading for them."
The closures could also impact adults, including those who are disadvantaged or out of work.
"We, the public, whether we have lots of money or we have no money, we have no resources to use," said librarian Verdel Flores. "The library is the great equalizer – it’s the great democracy-maker. Anybody can go in there and every service is free. You can learn English there, you can learn to type there, you can send out a resume, you can create a resume. The library is for everyone."
Besides the closures, budget cuts also resulted in the layoffs of more than 100 library workers, librarian Mark Siegel said, resulting in newly-built libraries lying vacant.
There’s a misconception that libraries run themselves, Silverman said.
"But a building cannot keep up with the latest in books, reference and technology,” she added. "A building does not run story time or book club. A building cannot help parents find the right book for their child. A building cannot help the unemployed go online for the first time in their lives to apply for unemployment, or to create a digital resume or conduct a job search. A building cannot help someone who has been diagnosed with an illness and needs to find accurate information right now.…A building cannot build community. A building cannot nurture children who want to grow up to become writers. A building cannot make a child’s dream come true."
You can see the new hours for Los Angeles city libraries here. Some Los Angeles county libraries are also closing more often, including branches in Bell and Compton. You can find their hours here.
Tags: budget cuts city hall los angeles public library reading