SPEAK OUT ABOUT LIBRARY CLOSINGS TODAY!

This Friday, April 9th at 8:30 a.m., the trustees of the Boston Public Library will meet to vote on a budget plan which includes proposals for closing somewhere between four and eight branch libraries and cutting services at the main library in Copley Square.  BPL president Amy Ryan has endorsed a proposal to close four branches this year.  However, many believe that her ultimate  goal is to close all 10 branch libraries that she had originally targeted.  She has realized the opposition was too fierce when she proposed that many closings all at once, so she is being strategic and trying to pick off the branches a few at a time.

We need to IMMEDIATELY CONTACT BPL TRUSTEES, BPL PRESIDENT AMY RYAN, MAYOR MENINO, AND CITY COUNCILORS TO DEMAND THAT THEY NOT APPROVE ANY BUDGET THAT INCLUDES CLOSING BRANCHES OR CUTTING SERVICES.  THE TRUSTEES NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU BEFORE 8:30 FRIDAY.

It is clear, after hearing Amy Ryan speak, that this is not really about a budget emergency.  It's true that there is a budget shortfall that must be addressed.  But this shortfall is actually a convenient excuse for her to push a pre-existing agenda that seems Orwellian - that library services will be "transformed" and "improved" by cutting services and closing neighborhood branches.  Ryan's "vision" for the BPL is to have fewer, "big box" libraries and to provide library services via the internet.  She has completely discounted the role that branch libraries serve as community spaces - to her, "21st century" libraries are meant to exist primarily in cyberspace.  It's an ugly, misguided "vision" and completely discounts the loud, clear opinions expressed by patrons of the BPL.

Contact info below.  Thanks so much.

BPL public comment email: feedback@bpl.org
BPL Trustees clerk, Jamie McGlone: jmcglone@bpl.org
BPL president, Amy Ryan: aeryan@bpl.org
Mayor Menino: mayor@cityofboston.gov
City Council members: firstname.lastname@cityofboston.gov
Felix.Arroyo - at-large
Mark.Ciommo - dist. 9
John.R.Connolly - at-large
Rob.Consalvo - dist. 5
Maureen.Feeney - dist. 3
Salvatore.LaMattina - dist. 1
Bill.Linehan - dist. 2
Stephen.Murphy - at-large
Ayanna.Pressley - at-large
Michael.Ross - dist. 8
John.Tobin - dist. 6
Chuck.Turner - dist. 7
Charles.Yancey - dist. 4

For more information:
People of Boston, citywide library support group: http://peopleofboston.org/
official BPL budget page: http://www.bpl.org/general/budget/

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