The only way to change public attitudes about library funding in Lancaster County is to eliminate the “Library System of Lancaster County” as it exists today, and replace it with a much less expensive organization that focuses solely on essential shared services. Instead of having a full-time administrative staff which works out of expensive first-class leased office space, all that is really needed is an inexpensive warehouse that would contain the centralized Information Technology department, the bookmobile, and a third employee who would handle administrative functions while assisting and filling in for one of the other two jobs when needed.
The proposed library tax failed primarily because of public objections to the large amount of overhead created by the “Library System”. It is necessary to eliminate the overhead and return the funding to local libraries, while maintaining the few shared services that actually do save local libraries money.
Seriously?! Have you ever visited a library?! You DO realize that:
1) People go for EVENTS as well
2) People go for RESEARCH and thus need a place to RESEARCH that doesn’t involve kicking aside trash and cockroaches
3) People may not have the approparite transportation to go visit your single musty old warehouse hidden somewhere non first class, like on south Green street in Lancaster. Wow would that be a great place to take teh kidz…
4) You somehow think it takes one person to organize this warehouse of books, maintain the facilities, maintain the books, and to distribute any externally requested books – I pity the person tasked with such a feat.
5) If you would actually visit the library and do some research, property management and financial management is a very complex undertaking… and I hope it isn’t the same guy that is unclogging the head that you have assigned to running the place.
I mean really… wow. I know, lets cut back on public education funding and hire yourself to help educate the poor kids who don’t know how to read, spell, or create because they had no access to the necessary means!