Funding for Public Libraries
When city councils in this country convene to assess budget priorities, they first hear from the police commissioner, who says no one will be safe without more cops on the street. Then the captain of the fire department arrives to complain about a shortage of working ambulances. Finally, the head librarian drops by to report on unreliable printers and graffiti in the bathrooms. It’s not much of a decision.
All across our country we have treasure troves of knowledge housed in majestic downtown buildings open to the public for about 32 hours a week. Renting out space to retail booksellers would allow these libraries to keep the doors open a bit longer. Mom and Dad could drink cappuccino while browsing through the bestsellers downstairs while the kids work on school projects upstairs.
It seems that very few politicians have considered using public assets to intelligently generate revenue. They see taxes and loans as the publics’ only sources of income.
libraries, public library, public funding
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