" I really hate to take issue with you, Ms Franklin, but your words invite it. You say: "Recent studies have shown that when libraries start to close down ... property values start to decline and towns start to dry up."

You don't identify the recent studies you cite but I suspect that, if there are such studies, declining property values and dried up towns may have led to the libraries closing or cutting back on hours - rather than the other way around - which fairly accurately describes what's going on here.

If Libraries were once pay for use, perhaps it's time to return to those old glory days. I see nothing wrong with charging patron fees to users of the library. As for me, I haven't been inside that library for many years, and I don't miss it one bit. Just like I don't really miss having Miller Motors around, or Thompson Lincoln Mercury, or Wilb Walker's, or for that matter, Thomaso's Pizza.

Just ask anyone who voted for Obama, it's all about CHANGE, but you seem to be mired down in the status quo of yesteryear. Here's an idea. Move the library to the train depot. "

" Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Associations (ALA) Washington office, says shes confident that Obama will recognize the importance of what we do because he has a track record of supporting libraries in the past. Take, for instance, his address to ALA in June 2005.

The library has always been a window to a larger worlda place where we've always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward, he told the audience.
School Library 11/4/2008

President Obamas 2005 Address at the ALA Annual Conference

(Context - he was a new junior senator, hadn't started runnng for prez and ALA was miraculously prescient.)

This keynote address was given by Barack Obama at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. He was a U.S. Senator from Illinois at this time.

"Bound to the Word: Guardians of truth and knowledge, librarians must be thanked for their role as champions of privacy, literacy, independent thinking, and most of all reading."

From the Address:

"More than a building that houses books and data, the library represents a window to a larger world, the place where weve always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward and the human story forward. Thats the reason why, since ancient antiquity, whenever those who seek power would want to control the human spirit, they have gone after libraries and books. Whether its the ransacking of the great library at Alexandria, controlling information during the Middle Ages, book burnings, or the imprisonment of writers in former communist block countries, the idea has been that if we can control the word, if we can control what people hear and what they read and what they comprehend, then we can control and imprison them, or at least imprison their minds."

"At the dawn of the 21st century, where knowledge is literally power, where it unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, we all have responsibilities as parents, as librarians, as educators, as politicians, and as citizens to instill in our children a love of reading so that we can give them a chance to fulfill their dreams. Thats what all of you do each and every day, and for that, I am grateful."

Source: ALA "

" Ryan the Librarian, I assume your post is directed to my words, since my post is the only other one on here.

I certainly am not proposing that we shutter the library or burn books. I'm simply saying that patrons of the library should pay for it.

By the way, I do agree that the written word (i.e., revisionist history written by liberals in textbooks) is a huge influence on our youth and, therefore, our future culture. With Obama, and all liberals, it's all about control. "

" If your a resident of mattoon but live outside of poke n plum street it cost 40.00 a year to use the library. The last time I visited the library it looked as if it was an extention of PADS,some of mattoons homeless folks sittin around rolling cigs and folding clothes.The city may want to consider a coin op laundry/soup line in the basement might bring in some new revenue to keep the library open. "

" To Attainedage:

Where do you draw the line for what public ammenities people should pay for? The public library is a great assett to the community and should be publicly funded. If we followed your logic that only users should pay for things we would charge mothers a fee to bring their kids to the park, we would charge fishermen a fee to throw a line in the lake, and you would have to pay a user tax to drive on public roads or walk on public sidewalks. Like you I don't use the library. I also don't have kids so I don't use the parks. But these are public entities that should not have a "user fee" attached to them. "

" If people outside of city want to use the library they can for $40. Under your proposed tax rate increase it would cost my family and most of my neighbors more than $125/ year. Why should we pay $90 more dollars from something that I can get now for $40? We are already being hit with a school district tax increase. If you want to increase revenue then base the out of district fee on the EAV of the home not a flat rate of $40. Instead of forcing us who live outside the limits to pay for services we will never use. Next you will be want to increase our outside of city limit taxes to pay for your crazy police and fire pensions that you can't afford. "

" "I live out in the country"

Shouldn't a library director live inside city limits of the library they are directing? Perhaps this district referendum is more about making her residence inside the library district than the money. "

" Country Boy, I don't agree with attainedge but I have to correct you on a couple of your analogies. Fisherman have to pay for a fishing license before they can fish in the lake. Every single person pays a user fee for driving on our roads ("Gas Taxes paid at the pump). Those two examples were not good ones. They argue your point (which I happen to agree with). Libraires need to stay free for everyone. "

" President Obamas 2005 Address at the ALA Annual Conference
Ok and in ALL fairness Obama has said one thing and did the totally opposite on more than one occasion. So do yourself a favor and don't quote him or use what he says. "

" Should people without resources be able to educate themselves? In a civilized society and a democratic republic, the answer would be yes, of course. But maybe Mattoon doesn't want to be part of a civilized democracy. "

" I have not been in a library since I was in school. And, that was the school library. I am not really for paid library idea, because books should be available for everyone, but when times call for it, maybe we should look at charging something for those whom want to use it.

I can confirm from others whom use the library, that at times, ours can be a scary place with all the homeless people hanging around with the shelter is closed. "

" The constant reaching into our pockets for all these things that we don't use is causing hardships on the people of Mattoon, where and when will it stop? When we voted to be able to burn our leaves the city went against us,and now we have to buy $40.00 worth of bags 2-3 times ayear to bag the leaves and haul them away. Then the people said no to the new schools and we got those shoved down our throats.The very person that was responsible for that is now serving on our city council and is helping to spend our remaining tax dollars until we are completely broke.I for one think that if we the people of this city say NO!! that enough is enough that we should be heard and the citys leaders should listen and do as they are told,not just go ahead because they think they are smarter than us.Some of us just don't have any more to give, Please stop taking so we can feed our familys and put shoes on their feet.I am already shopping at the Catholic Charity and the salvation army for my kids clothes and have to stand in line at the food pantry for help with our food. I can't take anymore!!!! "

" Is this an issue of maintaining the present level of service, or is it really about the desire of the director to expand the current level of service?If by some miracle this passes, look for new services to be offered to the public. I don't think they could have picked a worse time to ask the tax payers to cough up more money.

At this time the President is planning on lowering the taxes for 95 percent of the country and 97 percent of all small businesses, and the local libary wants to raise peoples taxes. Unbelievable. "

" Rules were rewritten several years ago to allow city employees to live within the Mattoon School District boundaries, so she doesn't need to live in the city. "

" Ummmmmm....helloooooo? We DO pay for our library by way of property taxes. and Voltaire, where did you get your figures from? If they are accurate, they are really going way too far with this one tax. "

" Harry Potter, I believe you are 100% correct with you thoughts about "expanded services". The Library can operate just fine with the funds they are currently receiving, maybe not the blank check they would like, but they are getting along as well as the rest of us.
Ryan the Librarian has proposed a very interesting idea. "Give me more money and I'll think of ways to spend it."
The whole Library District idea is just a ploy to get more money.

Please everyone, "Just say NO to the Library District proposal." "

" Business as usual has led to this. Its going to end up being near a 400k a year pay raise for the city, if this burdon gets lifted from their shoulders. Anyone said cities tax rates would be lowered, if the library goes out on its own? With this bunch, the library may need depot style rennovations, and they would wait until it was off their books, to point that out. Try finding the money the city is currently on the hook for, if ties were severed, could they cover their current responsibilities, or would they write that off to taxpayers too.

The city council appoints members to the library board. Not seen a mention of if they go district, how that will be done. Seeking a 650k budget, and they never have effectively presented a why, except it would really help them out, so they don't have to cut.

Next it will be the water department. Large bills for fixing things on that new plant have already begun pouring in. "

" When we voted to be able to burn our leaves the city went against us,and now we have to buy $40.00 worth of bags 2-3 times a year to bag the leaves and haul them away.

You do? I just blow them into the street. "

" I would burn them if the city would change their ordinance back to allow the citizens to have their way as any democratic vote would in any other city,state,or country. The council members work for us and it is time to get rid of the commissioners we have now and work on the mayor next. "

" My figure is from the tax bill estimate on the library website. Anyone with an EAV of more than $20k is going pay significantly more than what they currently can pay for a card. It's conveniently buried and hard to find. So here is a link:

http://tinyurl.com/cx52kr "

" A person, who lives outside the city who wants to use city ammenities, should pay the same taxes as someone who live in the city. If they want to pay city taxes then they can use the library, parks, and ball diamonds all they want.

We do not need expanded library services.

Leaves - I pile the city's leaves around my boat parked along the street so that the city will not see it and write me a ticket. "

" Here's the problem, as many, many have stated it Franklin:

WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR EXTRAS RIGHT NOW

Despite it being your income, it is not a neccessity for the vast majority of taxpayers. When I have to make budget choices, tough ones I might add, so should the city.

You do not need more money.

BTW: "Recent studies have shown that when libraries start to close down either cutting hours or closing completely property values start to decline and towns start to dry up."

Closing libraries, property values declining, and towns drying up are all SYMPTOMS.

If a town has no jobs, but spends $2 million on the library, I bet we'll still see the town dry up.

If a town has lots of jobs, but spends $100,000 on the library, I bet we'll see that town expanding.

Go look at a book called the dictionary and search for the word 'disingenuous.' People don't move to a town for libraries, schools, or ball diamonds -- they move there for jobs. "

" After reading some of these posts, I don't think I have ever seen people more in need of a library. "

" WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR EXTRAS RIGHT NOW

Despite it being your income, it is not a neccessity for the vast majority of taxpayers. When I have to make budget choices, tough ones I might add, so should the city.

You do not need more money.
-----------------------------------
OMG! Do you hear yourself? That's what the RIGHT has been saying about OBAMA'S budget at the national level.....

Okay, so in one instance it is okay to throw money at something, but in the other it's not.....

Oh....please, please, expand upon this logic...I gotta read this...this'll be rich.... "

" Despite it being your income, it is not a neccessity for the vast majority of taxpayers. When I have to make budget choices, tough ones I might add, so should the city.



Hang in there Neo, Obama's gonna lower your taxes. Be patient. LOL! "

" * has locke pulled a lockheed * get your parachute boys * lol * "

" I grew up in the Mattoon Library as did my sister and brother. It was a weekly outing for us when we were young. To this day, I can still remember the first word I read and knew I was reading. And, the book came from the Mattoon Public Library. My father was an avid reader and when he was no longer able to make the trip, one of the librarians (I'm sorry I don't remember your name)picked out and delivered books to him at home. After Dad passed away, we set up a memorial for him at the library and because he was such a regular, the librarians were able to tell us what type of books he liked. And, Ryan was wonderful. She sent me updates on what books and DVD's had been purchased and how much money had been received. You don't think Mattoon needs a library? That library provided my family, and my father, in particular with so much reading pleasure. I no longer live in Mattoon, but if I did, I would be 100% behind whatever it takes to keep it open and functioning and providing all the services it does. "

" What the relevance of what Obama said to the ALA? Is he going to fund our library? If we want a library we should pay for it ourselves, not expect non-locals to finance it. Or is this part of his redistribution of wealth; steal from the rich to buy votes from the rest? "

" Libraries, much like New Papers, the Postal Service, movie rental stores, and physical school campuses along with several other things are becoming obsolete. This is all do to the expansion of availability of the internet. The technology Revolution will continue to affect things of this nature. At some point there will be no need for a library, because all the services they provide will be or are available online. While it is a sad thing as libraries have helped do a lot of good for communities, their fate has been sealed. The money paid for a library card is nearly if not the same paid for internet access in your home. The only thing I could possibly see as a way for libraries to survive is to change operations to something along the lines of a community center and offering services as such. With the increase of E-Reader sales and the low price of e-books and audio books, people are gravitating away from hard and soft back books. It is much more convenient to carry around a small, light weight device that can store hundreds of books, rather than carrying around the physical books themselves. As the lyrics to the Bob Dylan song go, The times they are a-changin. "

" Great, the ole "we don't anything now that we have the Internet" card. If that was true, less people would be going to libraries and circulation would be dropping, instead both library visits and circulation are climbing nationwide. And while we are at it, physical campuses aren't obsolete either, as attendance climbs. "

" "Okay, so in one instance it is okay to throw money at something, but in the other it's not.....please, expand upon this logic..."

If I had the ability to print currency, sure, I'd pay for the library. Unfortunately, I can't just print money and regulate circulation.

Gee, I guess they aren't really the same, are they now?

In the eight years of Bush II, we went from 800 billion to 10 trillion dollars in debt due to tax breaks and massive spending on two wars. Why all the sudden concern about being fiscally tight on the budget. Oh, I know, your guy isn't the president. I see.

You don't know the first thing about being a conservative or economics. You only know what you heard on radio or television. An overly simplistic argument parroted directly from partisan hacks. "

" "Neo" Right on with your disection of the LOCKE hypocrisy. Touchy feely programs are a-ok at the national level but not locally I guess. Geez...No wonder Obama (falsely) thinks the American taxpayer agrees with his outrageous SPENDING formulas.

Touchy feely programs sound so good to the left, but when these programs fail, we are never suppose to judge their lack of effectiveness...EVER. After all it's always the good intentions that count, not EVER the end result.

Case in point...the war on poverty
from LBJ, since what...1965? According to Obama, thats a battle that is lost....Till HE tries to fix it..yea right...Good bye U S A

Social Security is another bomb that is wrecking our ability to keep the funds coming in.

But hey, back to the Library....I agree with "attainedage" on parts regarding the misinformation from Franklin....cause and effect, happens every time. Franklin put the wagon in front of the horse...nice try "