Who Uses The Public Library

I’ll probably catch hell for this column, but it really needs to be said by somebody.

I received an e-mail message from the Augusta Richmond County Public Library a week or so ago. It was disguised as a wish for a happy holiday season, but it was really a plea for a donation. There was a question asked in the body of the letter, “who really uses the public library?”

The main library in downtown Augusta is being rebuilt, although I recently passed the old building and it looks pretty good to me. Of course, I’ve never been inside that building, since I use one of the local branches near my home.

However, since they asked the question, “Who really uses the public library?” it got me to thinking about that. The answer is not conducive to anyone asking for supplemental funds to augment the $24 million raised by taxes to put up the new library.

If you live in any medium to large metropolitan area—most of us do—and you have a main public library downtown, then I suspect that you have the same problems that have plagued public libraries throughout the country, and maybe throughout the world.

The information I am sharing with you is not hearsay. I use my branch library once per week for a Spanish class, so I and other members of the class have lots of experience with the conditions I will describe. I am sure they are common to most, if not all the public libraries in Augusta.

There are several vagrants—the PC term is homeless victims—who have made libraries their home. They are not there to read or to check out books; they are there because it is a warm place in winter and a cool place in summer. And they cannot be thrown out for loitering, since it is a “public facility, open to all residents.”

Oh yes, there is another convenience that the library provides; bathrooms. Not that you would tell the person has bathed anytime recently if you get up close and personal with one. They do use bathrooms for their other purpose, and often leave the room in horrible shape; plugged commodes, filthy sinks, waste paper strewn all over the floor. Etc.

I have to admit that I have probably used the main library on occasions, but only to request books or audio-visual materials from my computer at home to be shipped to the branch library for pickup. Yes, the main library usually does have the largest volume of materials. I don’t really know why that is the case, since few people go out of their way to visit the main one when a branch library is so much closer to their home.

On that topic, the main library in El Paso, my former residence city, was rebuilt over the course of two years. During that whole period, the books and materials were stored away from the public instead of being distributed to the branches. I estimate that one-third of the total materials were unavailable for public use during that whole two-year time.

I wonder if a similar situation to that in El Paso will happen here. I certainly hope not.

After thinking through and reviewing all the above, I will not be contributing any money to the construction project. It will get built without my support and I do not want to even think that I helped build a huge edifice to provide a daytime refuge for the homeless. There are already several places that cater to their needs, and I don’t want to share our public library with some of them who don’t deserve it in the first place. That is especially true if it is going to cost over $24 million of our taxpayer dollars to restore a building that might have been trashed by those very people.

Okay, now you can e-mail me and tell me how cruel and heartless I am. Just to let you know that it won’t change my mind or attitude, however.

*****************************************************

I wrote the column last year at this time, but I didn’t publish it then. Instead, I wanted to find out how the library project would proceed. Now I can tell you that the books from the main library have been available, unlike the experience I had in El Paso. Also, the library renovation is well along, and the reopening is planned for July of 2010.

I don’t know what the homeless folks have been doing while the library has been under construction, but I do give donations to the city mission and other charities and I hope they are being used to help feed and shelter those poor souls.

I guess I have changed some after all. Merry Christmas