Libraries as a Social Hub

                                Libraries are the center of their community.  They are a place of information and activities.  The Poway Library is a good example of a place for the community.  Besides the access to information and books, they provide a place for people to gather.  The Poway Library has reading times for both toddlers and pre-schoolers ,social classes for teenagers, science classes, craft classes, exercise classes, and citizenship classes.  The schedule is busy.  When visiting the library, you can feel that it is alive.  The Poway Library supports its community’s needs.

                There are those who would like to end public funding for libraries.  “On April 1, House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) released his budget proposal for the fiscal year 2015. It would cut five trillion dollars from federal balance sheets in the next decade by making significant cuts to spending on initiatives like Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps. Among librarians, though, the most controversial cost-saving measure proposed in the Ryan budget might be its elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) entirely, cutting millions in grants to libraries around the country.”(1)

                Libraries are essential to society.  That is what a Pew survey has found.  “Some 90% of Americans ages 16 and older said that the closing of their local public library would have an impact on their community, with 63% saying it would have a “major” impact. Asked about the personal impact of a public library closing, two-thirds (67%) of Americans said it would affect them and their families, including 29% who said it would have a major impact.” (2)

                I believe that cutting funding to libraries would have a negative impact on society.

 1.Chant, Ian. "Ryan’s Proposed 2015 Budget Would Eliminate IMLS." Library Journal. Media Source Inc, 3 Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Flj.libraryjournal.com%2F2014%2F04%2Flegislation%2Fryans-proposed-2015-budget-would-eliminate-imls%2F>.

2. Zickuhr, Kathryn, Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcel, and Maeve Duggan. "How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities." Pewinternet.org. Pew Research Center, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.