librarian.net

Thanks to people who cared, rallied, funded and hyped, the John Steinbeck Library in Salinas California will not only not be closing, but might even be able to offer a few extra hours over the bare-bones minimum that people were planning to settle for. [thanks lauren]

Lincoln Cushing writes up his trip to Salinas to protest the closure of the library and show support along with other members of the Progressive Librarians Guild. Some photos by Eli as well. Other libraries are also in trouble, most recently Bedford Texas.

Michael has started an Endangered Library List on his blog. Let him know if you have additions.

At ALA Council on Wednesday, Council passed a resolution that was strongly critical of the Salinas library system closing and written by Michael McGrorty. Eventually the resolution in its final form will be online, in the meantime, the situation in Salinas is still looking pretty contentious, as are other libraries getting severely reduced hours such as the ones in Philadelphia.

Salinas California is going to be the largest city in the US without a public library, setting a bad trend, I think. Mike McGrorty has a few suggestions of how to help. [thanks dsdlc]

I sent around some email about the Buffalo PL crisis yesterday and got this interesting note back from a Buffalo non-librarian resident.

You can’t put it more plainly than this “After January 1, 2005: Your Library Will Close” Buffalo and Erie County NY libraries are looking at 80% budget cuts. They have very good advocacy pages set up like this “contact your legislature” page, but is it too late? I know that sometimes libraries consider closing [along with turning off the OPAC] as a tactic to raise awareness of funding cuts and their affect on libraries, but having a budget that is cut 80% really does seem like an irrecoverable budget slashing, doesn’t it? The budget is being debated and acted on this week, contact your local officials. As a side note, do you know why the county needs more money? It’s not because citizens are getting a tax break, it’s to cover rising Medicare costs.

State Library Illnesswatch: Alaska State Library hours are being cut in half though they’re still available full time via phone and [I'm guessing] email.

Film librarian Steve Fesenmaier has written a lengthy review of the film “Save and Burn” about the destriction of libraries and the corresponding destruction of culture. Can anyone help me track down independent information about this film other than this review and the posts that cite it?

Also from the Juice, and many other places, the Providence Public Library workers who are incensed over staff layoffs and administrator pay raises now have a snappy website and URL.