News Report #4

"It May Cost Too Much to Close Libraries in Reading, Pennsylvania"
11/11/09
www.ala.org/ala/alonoline/currentnews/newsarchive/2009/novemeber2009/readingfightsback110409.cfm

The citizens of the town of Reading, Pennsylvania have become very concerned with the current fate of the libraries in their town. The town has four libraries and due to budget cuts by the governement the town is being forced to close three out of the four libraries. The town will only be able to keep open the biggest and most used library in the town after the current year. This has caused many of the citizens of the town to try different things to keep the libraries open. Third graders from the town elementary school tried saving up their dollar bills and taking them to the mayor to show their concern for the closign libraries. Other people have suggested having volunteers help with the running of the library so that it will not cost as much to keep them open. At any rate the town is having to make cuts of up 2.7 million dollars to the budget that they originally thought for 2010. It is this major cut that is causing the lose of the three libraries in the town. The town will also be losing 9 out of the 20 workers that are employeed to keep the libraries running.
It always seems that the government is first to cut money to libraries or to education rather than to defense. We are in the middle of a recession and everyone knows this but its funny that I seem to still see brand new police cars in every town I come too. We have no money for libraries right now but some how the government finds money to get new cop cars. It seems to be this way with many things that the governemtn does. I'm not saying that it is wrong that we have new cop cars I'm just saying that maybe we should rethink our spending when we can't even afford to keep libraries open. I feel that the money sould atleast be handed out some what fairly. I don't see why we need new cop cars or other new things like that when that money could be used to help out our education department and libraries.