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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLouisiana state library funding has been eliminated
Citing budget concerns, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed a $25-billion budget that eliminates almost $900,000 in state funding for its libraries. In a statement, the governors chief budget aide, Paul Rainwater, said, In tight budget times, we prioritized funding for healthcare and education. Operations such as local libraries can be supported with local, not state dollars.
On Thursday, Library Journal took a look at that assertion. What they found was that while some local parishes may be able to cover the funding gap, others will feel the loss. Rural parishes will face a particularly daunting challenge.
One of those parishes is Concordia, located on the Louisiana-Mississippi border. Library Journal spoke to the Concordia Parish Library's director, Amanda Taylor.
Theres no longer a food stamp office; theres no longer a social security office. In our rural parish, a lot of our people have low literacy skills and very few computer skills. They come to the library because all of that has to be done online. There are some offices in some bigger areas but theres no mass transportation and a lot of our people do not have transportation to a place thats two hours away. A lot of our people have children in the military and they come to email their children that are all over the world on these bases. And almost all of the companies require you to do a job application online, even if its just for a truck driver who doesnt need to be great at computer skills, so it is very important that we offer this service."
Concordia formerly got $12,000 per year from the state, which it used to keep up all of the maintenance [on its 52 PCs], buy new software, and to buy new equipment as needed.
With that money gone, Concordia plans not to buy anything new, and hopes all its old equipment keeps working. Maintenance costs will have to come out of the materials budget. In the meantime, Taylor is already working on getting the funding restored. We are already talking to our legislators about the next budget, she said. We are going to work really hard to make the legislators understand how important it is in these rural areas because citizens depend on the public library. Were going to hope for the Legislature to open their eyes to what we do every day.
Libraries have drawn the attention of lawmakers faced with continually diminishing budgets. Pomona recently saw its public library threatened with closure. In New York City, $96 million in library cuts were proposed -- after a strong showing of public support, $90 million was restored.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/06/louisiana-eliminates-state-funding-for-libraries.html#sthash.8GY2104m.dpuf
Ilsa
(61,698 posts)Jindal should be ashamed that he can't make a budget work with a small allotment for libraries.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)These are people who are "left behind" in this country while the 1% has so much money they don't know what to do with it ....except offshore and hide it from taxes because too much is still not enough for them.
jsr
(7,712 posts)where poor people die in the gutter.
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)Does anybody have an update on what is going on now?
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)roguevalley
(40,656 posts)every day for 25 years. I know the inside and out of libraries and how LOVED they are by people. They are one of the few free things for everyone and a bulwark against fascism.
I have to say that Bobby Jindall is a total scumsucking son of a bitch. What healthcare funding? What the fuck is going on in Louisiana? I can't describe what I feel right now. My mother died four years after retiring because of health issues earned making her library a jewel. I could punch him in the face. What a weasel.
okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)about education or health care for his people. The only reason he would even increase either of those two is because he plans to run for President in 2016. I'm glad your mother was a librarian, not an easy occupation.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)does this asshat not know that public libraries are an important part of education? Hell, in high school I was going to the downtown Cleveland library once every week or so- it was vast. Oh, but school boards don't control public libraries, only the school libraries. I guess that makes it easier to limit the type of stuff students can read. Rec for exposure.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)sakabatou
(42,174 posts)Still sad though.
yawnmaster
(2,812 posts)AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Educated people tend to vote Democratic.