Library Card

The economic meltdown has hit Philadelphia with a vengeance. Our new Mayor had great dreams but they all went up in smoke when Wall Street went South. Last week he revealed his new budget complete with serious cuts. Although he said that few offices escaped, there are some proposals that are meeting with rightful protests.

I am speaking of his plan to shut down 11 public libraries, predominantly in lower-income areas. Big mistake. And I mean big. These libraries are often the only safe haven kids in these neighborhoods have. They go there after school, before their working parents come home, and do their homework or better yet, read books. Most of these branches are in areas where public schools have no libraries of their own.

What's worse--these 11 targeted branches are being closed permanently and the buildings sold. State Representative Mark Cohen (whose district contains 2 of the branches slated to be closed), called the idea "outrageous and deeply wrong."

To be fair, the mayor also plans to close most of the city's public pools--another big mistake in my opinion--and comparisons are being made between the two necessary services. It truly isn't fair to have to decide which is more important--a swimming pool or a library--because BOTH are critical to keeping kids happy, safe, busy and off the streets.

Libraries have the power to change people's lives. I used to hang out in the school library so much, it felt like I knew the title of every book. Even today, one of my most favorite places to go is the library, especially Penn's, where the sheer volume of the collection is often staggering. Regardless of its size, the amount of knowledge contained within the four walls of a library is astounding. How can you deny access to a kid?

I have always said that whatever you need to know, you can probably find the answer in a book. Mow the grass a little less, charge more for parking violations but please don't close the doors to a child's universe, especially in a city that ironically sponsors a "One Book, One Philadelphia" campaign.