Libraries, Literacy, and Community
Aug 23rd, 2009 | By Michael Boronowski | Category: Education, Politics & Leadership, RegionalLiteracy, both reading-and-writing and community literacy, are critical components of a strong community.
Informed discussion, enlightened imagination, and literal comprehension are the pillars of an active and engaged people. They enable organization, planning, and debate; all of which are critical to a healthy and functioning society.
CC publicdomainarts on flickr
It is difficult to overstate the importance of libraries and literacy.
While it is true that communication tools have led to improved access to information, the effectiveness of that access in terms of promoting local community development and community literacy is greatly diminished by the quest for monetization and the decentralized and isolated nature in which we receive it.
One of the great defining aspects of libraries, beyond providing access to a wealth of information, is that they are communal in nature. Scan the offerings at your local library and you will find activities, courses, support, services, and events that help build strong communities at a grassroots level.
Helping parents raise literate and informed children, helping students and teachers with research and access to information, and opening our eyes to publications from around the globe that provide insight into every aspect of our lives. All provided not for profit, but for our collective good.
Libraries serve as a critical grounding during a time where we are all-to-easily distracted by links of the day, explosions on television, and celebrity gossip publications.
They reveal and support the best in us all. The loss of any of these services would be detrimental to our communities, yet at the moment we find that loss a very real possibility.
BC provincial public libraries have not yet received their 2009 annual operating grants from the provincial government, nor have they been told how much money they will be receiving – both of which usually happen earlier in the fiscal year. There have been strong indications that the Province has decided to stop funding libraries and that this funding may be cut from the current and subsequent budgets.
http://www.stopbclibrarycuts.ca/public.htm
With articles in community publications across the province, the reaction to this holdback by media points to the importance of libraries to our communities.
Hopefully that coverage leads to informed debate and action that results in a long-term plan to support libraries and the communities of British Columbia.
It’s our chance to support those that support us, to bring positivity to a political debate that is all-too-often debased with uninformed comment, and to steer our representatives towards a very real way they can support the communities from whence they came.
You can find out more about what funding means to British Columbia’s libraries, and how you can become engaged through the British Columbia Library Association. If you’re interested they have an official response and list of other resources as well.
What?! I thought the HST was going to pay for public services. Kurt?! What’s happening?! It couldn’t have been naivety and placing false hope in political leaders, could it? But, hey, it wasn’t like you used libraries or formed community around literature in some sort of “book club” or the like. [insert sigh of relief here].
In all seriousness, well done, Mike. I especially like your actionable items that show us all what we as a community can do to learn more about our libraries. I mean, twitblogging the interscape is a great way to get information and collect ideas, sure, but there’s just something about holding a book in your hand that speaks volumes to the true nature of literary community.
Never before has there been such a danger of losing it. And thanks for the reminder, Mike.
- John
Thanks John,
There’s an update as of the 20th –
good post Mike. Britannia library is one of my favorite community hubs.
An HST related note — one of the proposed HST exemptions is vehicle fuel. Currently GST is charged on fuel, along with carbon tax and local gas taxes. PST is not charged. Thus current gas tax = 6% GST + carbon tax + local taxes. If HST is implemented, GST/HST will no longer be charged on gas, effectively undoing any price increases imposed by the incremental carbon tax. Gas tax will become CO2 tax + local taxes (-) GST. The carbon tax will no longer give the market any kind of even marginally effective price signal to change our carbon heavy habits.
The liberals will still be able to claim environmental sensibility, while in reality undoing what little good they have done already.
That’s really unfortunate Stew. Good observation.
Hey Mike
Libraries kept me sane in Philadelphia, even tho my car was towed while I was in reading once….they put the signs up after I parked and then towed me!!
Jenny and all of our Board at the DC Library Thank YOU for supporting free community.