small town mentality

[snickerd3]

WTF is up with small towns...

The library is planning on building a brand new building twice the size of the current location, with all new technology, meeting spaces, both a teen and children wings...and they found a way to accomplish it WITHOUT raising taxes or issuing bonds, and people are complaining not wanting the library to expand or move.

These people also are arguing against a new elementary school campus to bring the school district up to code and 2016 technology.  These attendance center schools are all in need of so much work just to bring to code, it would cost more to rehab the old buildings just to code, not adding all the needed security or handicap measures they really need.  

 

[matt267 PE]

It's because people like to complain. I think it makes them feel important.

 

[snickerd3]

the library will happen no matter what, but the school district is backing off the new building and now leaning toward inadequate updates

 

[Road Guy]

We see the same thing here for school upgrades & replacements... No one seems to fond to approve even bonds that don't raise taxes....

But I don't really see the point of libraries anymore..... Take the money and give everyone a kindle or something and be done with them...

 

[snickerd3]

hush you!!!  I prefer paper books and I don't like to spend $ buying them because i usually only read once.  The library allows me to read as many books as I want without having to deal with them when I am done.  

The new library will have a computer lab too, not just a computer or two it has now.  

 

[Road Guy]

Im not a Tea Party person but libraries are like transit, everyone is forced to pay into them and only 3% of the taxbase use them.. I would vote for everyone to 86 the libraries and give everyone a small tax refund to buy your own books..  Do you not have used book stores?  My daughter buys and then sells back books to 2nd & Charles and ends up only paying about a buck for the books...

we have a grand 3 story library that probably cost $10 million and its is empty pretty much anytime I am ever there, except for the occasional homeless or vagrant checking their Facebook page..

 

[snickerd3]

nope no used books stores.  The library's reported avg daily headcount is over 100.  they offer preschool age activities 1-2 times a week, they have lego and minecraft clubs.  it gets used.  

 

[Road Guy]

but what is the town population?

City of Boulder has a really nice library, it has a fake stream that runs through the entire building, but it also has hippies taking baths in it and trying to have sex in the bathrooms. its really disgusting for something they probably spent 20 million on..

 

[snickerd3]

6000 people

 

[Road Guy]

so 2 % use?   That sounds about right for Obamas state

Guess that's about average, and damn that is a small town!

Kind of funny our library lets you check out the State Park Pass for up to 2 weeks. It caused quite a stir on the news as people who buy the state park pass every year were upset that people were freeloading while they have to pay..(& this is in a lib town)  I think the idea was to encourage people to visit the parks and then buy a pass...

 

[snickerd3]

depends on how you do the math, 2% a day use it, or ~10% a week, assuming each person only visits once a week.  

 

[matt267 PE]

they have lego and minecraft clubs.

Two of my daughter's favorite things. She would be in heaven.

 

[mudpuppy]

I can't remember the last time I set foot in a library, but I still use their services.  My wife borrows e-books from them on her Kindle, and I use their online subscription to the Valueline investment survey (a subscription to that costs about $600/year, which I'm not about to pay).  She's borrowed a few games for the Wii from the library as well.  It's not my fault that 98% of the population is too stupid or lazy to use these services.

 

[Road Guy]

I'm an adult with a real job and responsibilities. I don't have time to play Wii..

I think they should charge the users a small fee to use their services so that those of us that are to stupid to use their services don't have to pay the full cost of it.

We have a very nice rec center built out of the General Fund, but we still have to pay a small monthly fee to use it. It also helps keep the riff raff out...Library's should be no different. Its not an essential service.(except to free loaders)

 

[mudpuppy]

The ironic part is she keeps borrowing those wii games, but we haven't found time to play any of them.  I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to paying a user fee either, but the people keep voting for the tax millage to support the libraries, so I won't complain.

 

[snickerd3]

they take like $150 in the property tax bill so I am going to use it

 

[willsee]

They just built this library here in Louisville

http://www.jrarchitects.com/southwest_free_public_library_feat.html

I think they are building two more of similar ilk

 

[Dleg]

I haven't used a library outside of my master's degree in 25 years or more.  But having on-line access to just about everything engineering and science-related ever written (including pricey standards) was pretty useful when I was studying for my master's.  Since then I've had library access at a lesser university and it didn't compare, but really made me realize the professional value of good library access.  It's too bad that my employers don't see it the same way, because I certainly could not afford the fees as a non-student.

 

[Road Guy]

People that use libraries are probably the same type of people that use a coupon at a sitdown restaurant

 

[Ble_PE]

Guilty on both charges (library mainly for the kids to get books). If a sitdown restaurant has a coupon to use, it's pretty dumb not to use it IMO.