Thursday, August 21, 2014

Links

Pacific Street Library Handicapped by Lack of Funds - Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Sounds like more PR for another run to sell the historic Carnegie library, with the usual doom-laden picture of the building's condition.  If the BPL could restore the Park Slope branch, which serves a significantly higher-income population, they should be able to fix some of the (often exaggerated) issues at Pacific. See more of the pitch here.

And on a disturbing development that includes the privatization of library space, (including a bid to take over 25% of the Red Hook branch), read this piece on the "non profit real estate organization" Spaceworks:
Spaceworks and its Privatizing Grab of the Libraries - Noticing New York

Our library trustees ought to be on guard to protect our libraries as institutions.  Shouldn’t they be fending off dismantling of the institution?  One thing the Mayor, the Comptroller, the Speaker of the City Council and the Borough Presidents can all do ... is appoint representatives to the library boards who, leveling a critical and discerning eye, will shun no-bid contracts with the likes of Spaceworks and will send packing this Bloomberg-created privatefirm that is spending public money to privatize public space.

If you haven't already done so, join in and sign the most recent Citizens Defending Libraries petition to save our libraries from development greed.  Before it's too late.


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