Digital Divide....Dan's opinions are tame...

[Dan Lester]

For those who think I'm off the wall, at the edge of reality, and so
forth, note the following editorial from the Colorado Springs
newspaper, the responses to it, and the latest piece from the paper.

I do NOT think we should abolish public libraries, or any others for
that matter.  I DO think that all citizens should be served by
libraries, even those who are stupid enough to continue to vote down
tax support for them (some 15-20 percent of Idaho is not served by ANY
public library, despite multiple election campaigns in some of the areas).

Seriously, all who love public libraries should read this exchange in
the links below.

dan


This is a forwarded message
From: Mary Johnson <johnson at d20.co.edu>
To: libnet at tripath.colosys.net <libnet at tripath.colosys.net>
Date: Thursday, February 01, 2001, 7:32:45 PM
Subject: Letter to the Editor

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To all librarians in all types of libraries. We're in this together!

In the Sunday, Jan. 28 Gazette newspaper (Colorado Springs), a staff editorial 
suggested that in the age of the Internet we should eliminate the entire idea 
of tax-supported libraries. Why build any more libraries when you can find 
everything on the Internet? Why not just let everybody, rich or poor, buy cheap 
paperbacks at garage sales? Everybody who uses the public library should pay a 
usage fee. While the editorial praised the leadership of the Pikes Peak 
Library District for forming focus groups to consider the future of the 
library, the general message of the editorial was that libraries no longer 
serve any useful purpose. 

My own reaction to the ideas expressed by the Gazette editorial staff was one 
of disbelief, but it did not translate into action. My secretary, Nancy White, 
on the other hand, rushed to her computer to submit a reply to the editor.She 
wrote an excellent, thoughtful letter, and I really wanted to share it with the 
library community. Nancy's letter was published four days after the original 
editorial. 

Read the original Gazette editorial first. It'll make you steam (or cry):

http://www.gazette.com/archive/01-01-28/daily/opin1.html

Next, read Nancy's response. You'll have to scroll down to the last editorial 
on the web page below:

http://www.gazette.com/archive/01-02-01/daily/opin3.html

Today's Gazette (Feb. 2) has an editor's reply to Nancy's letter and others. He 
hasn't heard a word. It's written by Dan Njegomir, and the heading is "Would 
you pay a dime to read 'War and Peace'?"

http://www.gazette.com/opin.html

Tomorrow you'll find the reply in the archives for Feb. 2, 2001.

Please send any comments to me at johnson at d20.co.edu or directly to Nancy at  
nwhite at d20.co.edu . And thank you, Nancy, on behalf of the entire library 
community and its tens of thousands of patrons!

Mary Johnson
Library Media Specialist/Technology Coordinator
Eagleview Middle School
1325 Vindicator Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Phone: 719-548-0316
Fax: 719-598-8402


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Academy School District Twenty 20Mail



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-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.postcard.org  www.gailndan.com