More Library News From the State of Washington

[gary]

This ran in today's NY Times:

"Tax Revolt Takes Aim at a County's Libraries" 
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/20/national/20LIBR.html


>From the article, "The libraries of Stevens County [Washington], bounded by the 
Canadian border, national forests and two large Indian reservations, are among 
the most remote in the United States. They are also threatened with 
extinction...A group of antitax crusaders are trying to shutter them, in an 
effort that the American Library Association says may be the first aimed at 
dissolving an entire county library system by referendum." 

Why do the antitax folks want to close the library? Included in the groups lists 
of reasons, "...rural libraries are increasingly obsolete, given the Internet, 
video outlets and discount bookstores." 

Finally this quote, "The library is so important in this town, especially in the 
winter, when there's not a lot to do," said Dianne Eppler, who runs an antiques 
store there. "When you start losing those things like a library, you lose the 
things that make a community. I mean, everybody needs a library."



gary

-- 
Gary D. Price, MLIS
Librarian
Gary Price Library Research and Internet Consulting
gary at freepint.com

The Virtual Acquisition Shelf and News Desk 
http://resourceshelf.freepint.com