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Questioning the library "crisis"
By Esteban on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 7:06am
Thought everyone city-wide should see Kevin's opinion piece - originally, as I understand, submitted to the Globe - unpublished, but now in the South End News:
Questioning the library 'crisis'
by Kevin McCrea
South End News Guest Opinion Contributor
April 1, 2010
Recently, it has been reported that there is an emergency fiscal "crisis" with the Boston Public Libraries and that 10 of the 26 branch libraries may have to be shuttered. But, the numbers do not add up, and there is no real emergency. The crisis is one of honest government, proper planning, and responsible investigative journalism.
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Comments
Esteban thanks for posting this
Kevin McCrea, thanks for writing it. I especially liked your invocation of the Shock Doctrine comparing how the financial "crisis" is being blamed for the policies Menino and Ryan want to implement. I saw the same thing.
Boston Globe, shame on you for not printing McCrea's op-ed.
This debate is getting more pointed and the criticism of the new policy more on point. It's not easy deconstructing city hall bs talking points but we're getting there folks, we're getting there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flq0dgnKPAE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flq0dgnKPAE
Menino's is Showing what is isn't made of
Menino is starting to look like someone who could be mayor when times were (relatively speaking) good but when times are tough he fails.
In relecting Menino the city made the same mistake of electing Bush (not re-electing since he was appointed by the drag queens in black robes back in 2000). What we now have is a mayor whose only solutions are to cut back the easiest targets (libraries) . Perhaps Menino will follow Bush and declare war on a neighboring state. Then he could justify closing virtually all city services due to the cost of warring against another state.
Seriously, Menino could have retired with a decent reputation. Now he will retire as the mayor who shut down libraries. Of all things shutting down libraries? That is like banning mom and apple pie.
You missed the point entirely
Menino isnt really going to shut down libraries or retire as the mayor who shut down libraries. He is going to scare the public into thinking the libraries will shut down, get the public all bent out of shape, "find" money to save the libraries...and then be remembered as the mayor who "saved" the libraries in spite of the terrible economic times.
Its all crap, the man is a jerk.
Exactamente!
I grew up at the Hyde Park branch, the Roslindale branch, and my college library. That doesn't excuse the manipulative behavior I'm seeing and it does a grave disservice to the libraries themselves.
If Menino actually had a set and really did close the libraries on a moment's notice, sure, everyone would be shocked. He and Ryan are taking a page out of the PBS playbook: threaten to take away Sesame Street unless they get more funding. There are "lists" and "safe places" but it's all for the media to lap up and engorge back to the public. And certain enough, the funding comes and the branches remain open.
On the other side of the coin are the "outraged" professional protestors who know about these activities well in advance. Wanna bet the mayor and the library chair placed a phone call to these "Save the library" people and said, "We're short $3.6 million and we need sympathy from the public to get the money. Wanna come down and help us?"
This kind of political theatre (write the mayor, have kids hold signs, etc.), however, turns me off because it is manipulative and a publicity stunt for the mayor and the library. In fact, I dare the mayor and the library head to close them down. I'm calling their bluff - too bad many others are not as willing to do so.
Easy for you to say- Cleary Square is "safe"!
But I doubt they'll swoop in and "save" all the branches, though that would be nice. I certainly don't want to go so far as to encourage Menino and Ryan to close someone else's local library, "to prove they've got a set." Now would be a perfect time for him to do something politically unpopular, don't you think? It wouldn't make him any kind of a hero, however.
Political theatre
I also believe this is political theatre and that Hizzoner isn't willing to have library closings remembered as his legacy. But if it helps get funding, I'm not sure I can object.
A national economic study of our public libraries.
A national economic study of our cities' public libraries is needed that's done independent of library professionals, independent of publishing professionals. System Dynamics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_dynamics would be the better technique used in a methodology for a national economic study of our cities' public libraries.