Don’t Shut Down the Libraries!

I just read a disturbing Fox Chicago News piece which advocates the shutting down of public libraries as a useful budgetary tool … because “that’s money that could go elsewhere — like for schools, the CTA, police or pensions.”

I know that libraries are an expensive proposition — as much as $120 million in Chicago alone, according to Fox — but consider the costs associated with shutting them down! For some children, their local public library may be the only place where they can use computers, borrow CDs and videos, read an enormous variety of books (not all of which are about teenage vampires) and enjoy a quiet, safe interlude among other bookish kids … especially in these difficult economic times.

The late, great Malcolm Forbes once said, “The richest person in the world — in fact all the riches in the world — couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library.”

I couldn’t agree more. Spare us false economies! I feel strongly that libraries should remain beacons of learning for American children and their families.


Technorati Tags: Fox Chicago News , public libraries, Malcolm Forbes, communications, public relations, Makovsky