Next chance to help library supporters fight more budget cuts

Another City Council-led hearing on the 2010 city budget is coming up this week. It’s not happening in West Seattle, but the fate of many city-operated services hangs in the budget balance – particularly the Seattle Public Library. According to Friends of SPL, there will be dramatic effects at West Seattle libraries, particularly the Delridge, High Point, and WS (Admiral) branches — which would close on Fridays and Sundays, and cut back other hours — as well as nearby South Park. Sarel Rowe from Friends of SPL says they didn’t get the support turnout they were hoping for at the first budget hearing this past week (as they report here), so they are pleading with library supporters to come make brief remarks in support of prioritizing library funding at these two hearings – one just days away:

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14
Northwest African-American Museum
2300 S Massachusetts St. (map)

5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 at
City Council Chambers
600 4th Avenue (map)

Rowe says, “We need people who will stand up and speak for two minutes in support of the library. One night at a hearing is a small investment if one considers that the risk is closures and reduced hours of our neighborhood branches. E-mails help alot but we must also have support at the hearings if we have any hope of blunting or avoiding these service cuts.” And if you haven’t taken the Friends of SPL survey about library use yet, go here. Meantime, you can dig into details of the 2010 budget proposal by going here.

Julie October 10, 2009 (2:32 pm)

One detail of the proposed cuts that families and students might particularly note is that these branches would be closed after 6 pm except on Mondays and Tuesdays. For families where the parents don’t get home until 5 or 6, that can make it hard to get kids to the library for homework.

marty October 10, 2009 (4:34 pm)

Don’t most of the kids get their info from the internet instead of the library? I sure would! Times are changing…

Laurel October 10, 2009 (4:43 pm)

I’m still trying to figure why we have both the Highpoint and Southwest branches when they are only maybe a mile apart and on the same street.

k October 10, 2009 (5:27 pm)

@marty–Not everyone student has internet access at their home. The library I go to is often filled with kids doing research/homework on the computers, both on weekends and early evenings.

On another angle, it will be hard for myself and others to return our books on time if the library isn’t open past my work hours.

WSB October 10, 2009 (6:27 pm)

Laurel, your comment made me curious so I mapped it. 1.8 miles from HP to Southwest. 1.0 miles from HP to Delridge. From either Delridge or HP to Admiral (“West Seattle”), 3 miles. I don’t know anything about the site logistics, but that’s the distance separation – TR

Laurel October 10, 2009 (6:42 pm)

Thanks for mapping that. They seem so much closer than that when you’re driving down 35th.

datamuse October 10, 2009 (11:32 pm)

Don’t most of the kids get their info from the internet instead of the library? I sure would! Times are changing…

A lot of what’s available to them on the Internet is provided BY libraries…and a lot of what else is available, their teachers wouldn’t accept (and shouldn’t).

Gina October 11, 2009 (11:35 am)

High Point Library started as an activity room in the High Point housing project. Was a “station branch” with limited hours. The advent of computers made it a much more popular place.

Kara October 11, 2009 (1:18 pm)

Having grown-up in Highland Park/White Center and having a single mother I would have failed in life without the library. I relied on it for everything! We couldn’t afford a computer and the one time I wrote a report on an old typewriter and my teacher laughed at me. A computer is still luxury that some families can’t afford.

Also, although the branches may be close together they are all completely different neighborhoods and those libraries do any amazing jobs at catering to the population they are in.

Holly October 11, 2009 (1:41 pm)

@marty–The internet is great. Going along those lines, I say we save money and close all parks and museums. We can just look online to get the virtual experience.

Sorry, comment time is over.