Our good friend, Al Tucher, mentioned this week that the Newark Public Library has been allotted zero allocations for the acquisition of new books. That means no books written recently are making their way into Newark citizens' hands. The city that we read about through Philip Roth's novels has fallen on hard times. It's tough all over, but Newark has had it hard for a long time.
If you find yourself with a spare ten or twenty, they would really appreciate the gift. A gift of a book is nice, but costs money to process. This would allow a purchase made through their normal means. And insure they get a book they want and don't already own.
You can direct any donation to:
Development Department
Newark Public Library
5 Washington Street
Newark NJ 07102
My review of WARM BODIES is up on Crimespree Magazine. Go admire their neat new website.
8 comments:
Patti, after seeing AMOUR we thought maybe we should go see something else since we were early and it was not exactly upbeat. Since the reviews were sort of positive and a friend of ours loved it we decided to try this.
Well, you were right. There were a few cute lines but no explanation at all and after 20 minutes or so we'd had enough and walked.
Jeff M.
Newark library is sweet. Definitely -- send books, funds & money . . . or to any other library that could use bolstering, which are legion.
Huzzah ~!
I'm amazed. Doesn't the city support it's own library? Don't the citizens support the library system? Doesn't the county funnel any funds into the city system? All of those things happen here in Oregon, in Multnomah County, in Lake Oswego city library. Also we have a bond issue for the library system every 5-10 years that guarantees their continued maintenance, funding, cost of employees and operating costs. The libraries here are very heavily used and appreciated.
None of this lessens the facts and the need for donations, but still, I'm amazed.
Thanks, Patti, for the reminder of how this and other libraries can benefit from people's help. We need our libraries!
RkR: Don't be surprised. I'm on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and our heavily-used parish library system requested a small bond issue a few years ago to fund desperately-needed maintenance and expansion; but the anti-tax mindset has so thoroughly permeated the electorate that the measure went down to defeat 73% to 27% (about the same percentages that voted to define marriage as one-man-one-woman--and I don't think that's a coincidence). I knew the measure would fail when I saw a neighbor, a journalist who writes for the local paper, coming out of the polling place saying, "We've got to defeat this tax increase!"
Sadly, I think your community's response to funding the library system is the exception rather than the rule these days.
I'd also add that, while book donations are welcome, a gift of money is always best. Firstly, it helps avoid having too many duplicate copies of a book. Secondly, libraries generally purchase from companies that provide discounts to institutional purchasers and ship the books barcoded, bound, and circulation-ready. Thirdly, the purchasing committee can choose books that are appropriate for the demographics of the community. (I still shake my head at the donation of a number of biographies of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis that we received in the library if a school that had a student population of over 50% African-American!)
I don't want to suggest that the city doesn't support the library. Newark has more than its share of urban problems that bite especially hard when times are difficult oveall. For example, the city has an extraordinarily high proportion of tax-exempt property belonging to educational and religious institutions and to the state and federal governments. The library is not alone in feeling the pinch. The city has also severely cut police and fire protection.
This not the first time we have faced these difficulties. In the 1960s Mayor Addonizio attempted to eliminate the library and the Newark Museum entirely, but public protest stopped him.
Deb is correct that money is especially welcome, despite the bad taste of ingratitude that the stipulation leaves.
Thanks to Patti for speaking up on our behalf!
To RkR...Yes the City of Newark does support our Library system. It is $3 for every $1,000 of property tax (minimum). Since we are a municipally supported Library system, Essex county is not mandated to support the Library but usually gives about $5,000. Oregon is a progressive state and New Jersey is in the Northeast where taxes can be on the least little thing. Even as Newark's total libraries is shrinking, use is growing. Newark's biggest problem IS non-collectible property taxes - not just schools, churches and government institutions but also abated taxes to businesses. If all the businesses inside Newark paid property taxes, this would be a different story. Before you send books, cd's. dvd's, etc. call the Library at the main number 972-733-7784. The issue remains dwindling personnel to process your generosity. Preserve Newark Libraries
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