We are all being hit by budget shortfalls and the economic crisis. In the City of Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter and his Department heads have decided that among other cuts, closing 11 libraries in mostly poor neighborhoods is a sound and practical plan.
Libray closings
Find out what a group of elementary students are doing to save their library below the fold
My nephew's school is launching a Read-In and Book Trek. We want the Mayor and the head of the Free Library of Philadelphia to join us in our trek of 2.7 miles through three different, unsafe, congested neighborhoods to the the next closest library.
If you are in Philly, please join us on Tuesday.
Save Our Libraries!
Join the Read-In and Book Trek
Hosts:
Montessori Genesis II School
(36th St. and Haverford Ave.)
Invited Guests:
Mayor Michael Nutter, Siobhan A. Reardon (Director
of the Free Library of Philadelphia), and YOU!
Tuesday, December 9th from 10 am to 1 pm
Gather at Charles L. Durham Branch (34th St. and Haverford Ave.) to read Patricia Polacco's book, Aunt Chip and The Great Triple Creek Dam Affair, to learn about the consequences of closing libraries.
Walk from Charles L. Durham Branch to our next closest library, Walnut Street West Branch (40th & Walnut Sts.) and back to show the time and energy it will take to travel across town to the library.
Rain Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008
Here is a news story about the the kids' protest.
Here is another.
Here is a letter that the 3/4 graders wrote to the Mayor:
November 19, 2008
Dear Mayor Nutter,
We believe our libraries should stay open. Closing libraries robs our communities of education. When education decreases, crime increases. We do not want more crime in Philadelphia! Libraries have resources that we need to complete research like computers, encyclopedias, books, dictionaries, and librarians who give us lessons. Many families cannot afford the Internet, so they use computers at the library. People use computers to access information quickly, type résumés and school reports, and print materials for everyday use. Home-schooled children and small schools need libraries because they do not have a lot of resources and materials of their own. It is important that libraries should stay open so that all people have access to these resources and materials for free.
We need the Durham Branch to stay open, because the next closest branch is over a mile away. This would mean that trips to the library would take a big chunk of our school time. We feel disappointed that the Durham Branch is closing. We, as citizens of the Mantua community, feel that we have a right to have educational resources inside of our community. We should have a say in what happens in our lives.
Sincerely,
3rd and 4th Grade Class
If you can't make it on Tuesday, there is a big "Save Our Library Rally" at the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia today. State Reps. Mark Cohen, Babette Josephs, James Roebuck, Council Bill Green, and more will all be in attendance! Please come out!
If you are out of town, you can call these folks. You can also call/ email Siobhan Reardon who is the President/ Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia. She's the main person who made this decision. She's been stubborn about considering other alternatives--such as a rotating schedule in which libraries are open 3 days a week across the board-- and explaining why alternatives are not acceptable. She just says, "It won't work in the long-term." But we say, "Neither will less libraries! Especially if the buildings are sold!"
In fact, I would start with Ms. Reardon and Mr. Nutter.
Siobhan Reardon
215-686-5300
reardons@freelibrary.org
Mayor Nutter: 215.686.3000
City Council:
Dist. 1 Frank DiCicco: 215.686.3458;
Dist. 2 President Anna Verna: 215.686.3412;
Dist. 3 Jannie Blackwell: 215.686.3418;
Dist. 4 Curtis Jones, Jr.: 215.686.3416;
Dist. 5 Darrell Clarke: 215.686.3442;
Dist. 6 Joan L. Krajewski: 215.686.3444;
Dist. 7 Maria D. Quiñones.Sánchez: 215.686.3448;
Dist. 8 Donna Miller: 215.686.3424;
Dist. 9 Marian B. Tasco: 215.686.3454;
Dist. 10 Brian J. O'Neill: 215.686.3422
Councilmembers-At-Large:
W. Wilson Goode, Jr.: 215.686.3414;
William K. Greenlee: 215.686.3446;
Bill Green: 215.686.3420;
Jack Kelly: 215.686.3452;
James Kenney: 215.686.3450;
Blondell Reynolds Brown: 215.686.3438;
Frank Rizzo, Jr.: 215.686.3440
Don't let the next generation of community organizers put Kossers to shame! Get on the phones on Monday and make some noise!
Thank you for reading this diary.