Photo by Pam Hasegawa
Budget imperils New Jersey's librariesI go to the library at least once a week. My mother is legally blind from macular degeneration and she listens to books on tape every day. Webster likes them too. Mother (89 years old) loves a good mystery and Webster likes any audio book read by a man. For new readers of this blog I must explain that Webster is a dog. Tabitha (the cat) isn't picky and will listen to anything. The new governor of NJ Chris Christie is proposing a 74% reduction in library funding to include a 50% cut in direct aid to libraries. This is the most serious threat to New Jersey libraries for as long as anyone can remember. Click on the link above to read the full story about this whole mess.
I filled out a protest card at the Morristown library today (pictured above in photos 2, 3, and 4); they will mail it for me. Please go to your local NJ library to do this as well. There are more links below you should look at if you want to save New Jersey Libraries and their FREE INTERNET ACCESS which will disappear if this goes through.
We must raise our voices and protest as loudly as we can since the librarians can't speak above a whisper and don't belong to a union. They are planning a rally in Trenton to lobby for themselves on May 6th. I hope someone will be listening.
This is National Library Week and I'd much rather be posting something that celebrates libraries instead of threatening them.
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2 comments:
That's just awful! What a terrible place to cut funding. I guess your governor doesn't understand the important part that libraries play with literacy! So many people could never afford to buy books and use the libraries all the time. Shame on him! I hope there is a giant uproar in your state.
My husband also has macular degeneration and can no longer read. He uses the Oklahoma Library for the Blind. I googled and found this link for you: http://www.njlbh.org/
The Oklahoma Library for the Blind sends us his books through the mail. Also, if you haven't tried it, Paul uploads books on his Ipod and listens to them. It's not terribly easy though.
Those are tremendously huge cuts!
Good luck to all the concerned citizens in your state, Rosemary--I sincerely hope this drastic measure by your governor does not go through.
Your local library is beautiful and what a library SHOULD look like, BTW.
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