By: Diane Benjamin
The Bloomington Public Library wants another tax hike. They are still looking to expand.
What is clear is they aren’t expanding for books. To keep traffic coming to the library their focus is events. http://www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/Assets/files/bpl_board/boardpackets/2019/2019.10bplboardpacket.pdf
Do taxpayers get a voice? Does the Bloomington Library exist to hold free events? Is that something taxpayers want higher property tax bills for?
Below is a list of events and the number of attendees, I believe all of these were held in September:
(the packet doesn’t make that clear)
The actual circulation at the library has decreased dramatically:
Citizens need a say in what they want a library to be. They need to tell their alderman what they are willing to pay for “free” entertainment.
Are you willing to pay higher property taxes to fund this?
Considering you can ‘borrow’ books from the library via electronic mediums and not even go there, there should be less need for physical space. I haven’t met very many people who don’t have smart phones or tablets to be able to download books to their devices and read them wherever. I’m sure there is some sort of grant where they can get fairly cheap tablets to ‘check out’ to those who don’t have them. You can get Fire Tablets for under $40-50, and I’m sure buying in bulk, they can come fairly cheap.
If they want events to help people, have technology events once a month where people learn how to use the devices to download and read books.
You are making way too much sense. You want to bring the library into the 21st Century? But that would probably get rid of most of the library’s (city) jobs! And what will all those thousands of new people who will be flooding into our area think when they discover that our place for the “drag queen” story hour is gone?
The governmental definition used by the Institute for Museum and Library Services:
A public library is established under state enabling laws or regulations to serve a community, district, or region, and provides:
1. An organized collection of printed or other library materials, or a combination thereof;
2. Paid staff;
3. An established schedule in which services of the staff are available to the public;
the facilities necessary to support such a collection, staff, and schedule, and
4. Is supported in whole or in part with public funds.
We check out a lot from the library but we could purchase everything we check out with the amount of taxes we pay. Not at all worth it.
I love the library. Probably 20 years ago when I realized how much of my $$$ was going to the library, I started using it. I love how you can reserve books, dvd’s etc and they are ready for you to self check and be on your way. I don’t have cable so there are many shows I can’t watch, but am able to check out the dvd and watch it in my leisure. I am pleased by how many parents do bring their children to the library. Returning the books inside is a lesson I often see parents showing them how to use. A simple way to make them responsible for an items return. Only thing I don’t like is the traffic calming strips! I can see where some expansion could be warrented, but not to a great expense. As much as I dislike the idea of a whole new library placed on the east side, that is where it needs to be if a huge expansion is warranted. I’m not a big fan of reading my books electronically.
Normal and Bloomington are in much the same boat, library wise.
I tend to be pro-libary. But posting on that would be putting the cart before the horse – Both municipalities need to focus on cutting frivolous ‘wants’ spending and properly addressing ‘needs’. Whether you love libraries, hate them, or whatever in between, we should not be looking at expanding or moving Either library until current spending and debt issues have been addressed.
After that, we can have a library conversation.