It's been a little while since I last wrote this blog. I have been busy working on an issue that is very important to me. I never suspected that this would come to a head like it has. It feels like I'm swimming upstream with the fishes. You might be saying to yourself right about now, "What is she saying? She is not making any sense."
Frankly I'll agree with you because what my local library is planning to do doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. I have to admit that I do have a clearer understanding of the situation today than I have had for a little while. I understand the need for space and the desire for new books. I truly do.
Yet when I first heard that the library was planning to get rid of half their collection, I kind of freaked out. I wrote some things that were untrue, but I didn't know they were untrue at the time. I just can't help thinking that if they communicated a little better then I wouldn't have felt it necessary to say anything.
I'm still straining to wrap my mind around some things that were said. I want to be down with the masses of people that will use this library in the future. I want them to feel that the information they are getting from the library is relevant to them. At the same time I don't want them to lose their heritage which I feel will be lost if they have no access to reference material in a physical sense.
My stomach twists because I feel that the "powers-to-be" don't understand the relevance of having a viable non-fiction and reference section. I'm still figuring out next steps. I can't save all these books from being destroyed just because they are old and seemingly have no value. However I can in my own way open their eyes to the masses who utilize this library frequently and deserve to have some say in what happens to it.
That's not to say that I'm against new books. I welcome new books. Frankly if they said that they would replace the older reference books with newer ones, then I would accept the purging of half the collection. They didn't. So I save as many books as I can from the dumpster.
Am I crazy for doing this? Maybe....but what is the alternative? Do we allow this to happen without a voicing our opposition to the plan? My thoughts are all in a jumble now. I do have a lot to think about and I may not get the opportunity to voice my concerns at all. That is a very real possibility...or they may just change the venue without letting anyone know about it. That would be bad...:-(
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