| - Apertura a few weeks ago the bedford public library closed its doors. the property owners in bedford joined forces to bring down their taxes by $.09 per $100 dollars of property value. so, the city budget people were forced to find a way to reconcile the now huge deficit.
so of course the library goes. i mean, people don't go to libraries anymore, right? i want everyone who is reading this to shut down your computer, get in your car, and go to your local library. now. people go to libraries.
who? people who can't afford to buy every book they want to read. kids who need real help with research papers. people looking for community information. people wanting to read old newspaper articles but who don't want to pay five bucks each at dallasnews.com. people looking for new information, new skills, and new technology.
that's right. libraries are on the cutting edge of technology. for those of you who haven't been since your last research paper, libraries have kept up with the times. you will find free access to the internet, internet databases with thousands of scholarly works on any given field, a computerized catalogue that shows you information at your library and others, and skilled-professionals who have given their life to show you the best resources for information.
you don't see a lot of SUV's in the parking lot, nor do you see diamonds adorning most of the patrons. what you will see is folks who go the library because it's a place they can count on, a place they can afford, and place where they find new ways of understanding. these are elderly people, new immigrants, students, and all the other people we typically overlook.
not in bedford, though. the property owners have gotten together and decided that they would rather keep the average $140/yr for themselves. maybe they can buy a new dvd player this year. | 