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“Approve” lead is now 4 votes
After today’s tally, there are 1,068 votes to Approve the lid lift/levy of 22 cents for the Ocean Shores Library, with 1,064 votes to Reject. There could still be a few votes to count, if any of those informed of a questionable signatures reply by Aug. 31.
Last week’s vote was 1,047 Approve to 1,040 Reject. So today’s count added 21 votes for Approve, with 24 more on the Reject side.
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on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 3:50 pm and is filed under North Coast News.
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T.Tibs is right. I wonder if the library could buy a few Kindles at $139.00 for the library? I wonder if Amazon has a program for Libraries? Maybe they offer them at a discount? Free? Maybe they have a corporate grant program? Could this be part of the money spent on the new technology? They are giving computers to kids at schools these days. Give us a library with one professional librarian who knows how to use the new technology and contract with Timberland for their data abilities. Then you have the best of both worlds for the time being.
The library did have plenty of funding and staff as the 2008 budget shows but the library did not advance it regressed. Timberland which had the same economic conditions did not regress. They did what Ocean Shores cannot do. They concentrated on efficiency and continual effectiveness of service which the Ocean Shores library and in fact the entire city can not do because it is structured with employees first and taxpayers last. Timberland did not reduce a single library to 20 hours a week and they did not have to operate with volunteers or violate union contracts.
There is no evidence that there are people officially looking into the actualities of joining Timberland. This vote was a means of avoiding the desire of a large block of voters who wanted Timberland and its high quality and many excellent services to be considered by the city government. The costs in relation to services were just ignored in order to feed taxes to a crippled, outmoded library.
Digital books are just one service Timberland offers. Timberland reference librarians provide a dozen more modern quality services like digital books. Not only does Timberland circulate a great many paper books. They have millions more and more recent ones than the Ocean Shores library has to choose from. Taxpayers should not have to fund the Ocean Shores library so it can reinvent the wheel when Timberland has already invented a far better one.
Even if they are only looking at hiring one additional staff member at this point the exorbitant uncontrollable labor rates the city is locked into makes even this point a negative one for the library.
Exactly, Lorraine!
And the whole reason our library needs funding is so that it CAN advance.
I’m not saying Timberland isn’t a great option in the future, and there are people looking into the actualities of joining Timberland. This vote was never an either or. Whether the levy passes or fails we won’t be able to just jump on with Timberland. It’s a long process!
I understand that people want digital books, they are a great tool. But I still don’t agree that paper books are becoming obsolete. While Timberland has access to digital books they also circulate a great many paper books. I think it would be wonderful to give the people of Ocean Shores that option as well, but in order to do so funding will have to be available.
Also, as to your original statement, Randy ~ It’s my understanding they are only looking at hiring one additional staff member at this point if the levy passes.
Not everyone yet is fortunate enough to be able to afford PC’s or eBook readers. When I was a child, we would have been among those and I would never have developed the love of reading if it had not been for Public Libraries, be it lacking or not! My first experience with a public library was the Bookmobile that came to our school every second Tuesday of the month. As far as having Timberline as an option, if we are barely passing a .22 cent levy, how in the world would we have passed a .35 cent levy?
EDITED the web links describe the digital book age advancing like a Tsunami with increasing force. The lone Ocean Shores Library is woefully inadequate in preparing its citizens and their children to face it. Kindle, Sony’s Reader, Barnes & Noble’s Nook and iPads all are all rapidly selling, improving and going down in price. The same thing happened with personal computers.
Digital Audio and eBooks are all available at home with your Timberline card but not with an Ocean Shores card. Timberland is giving its patrons training and skill for the future while Ocean Shores stays mired in the past pining for the glory days of Pat Boone. The experience with digital literacy is minimal at this city library. It is all by its lonesome run by admirable but unprofessional volunteers and staff. Paper books are still loved but the digital book wave is coming.
Most Ocean Shores taxpayers aren’t hold-outs on eBooks for moral reasons. They simply can’t access them from home from their library for their eReader. You must experience the forbidden joy of eBooks to appreciate them.
They are still not better than paper books but that day is coming.
Being able to highlight quotes and passages and easily find them again is a key feature that eBooks have over paper books. This activity can also be social, Kindle pages feature the most highlighted passages of all time. The ability to create and then easily display archived notes is a big plus for eBooks. Instead of scribbling in small writing in the margins of a paper book, you can type a clear note in your eReader. Tap a word and see the definition displayed below.
If you have access to a digital public library all this can be done on your eReader with the digital book you borrow without even leaving home. To pay 22 cents/1000 of tax money for a mediocre library mired in the past is just not worth it at any price. We must pay it because 4 votes, so far say we must, but we will have another chance in 2 years to again vote against paying for this mediocre library.
No one said that they should throw away what already exists. However, the delivery of thoughts in the written form, be it electronic or printed, has changed. Even printing has moved beyond the Gutenberg Bible. Now even the books are typeset by computers and photographic plates are used to print the documents. The next step, like the improved electronic machines mentioned earlier, is the direct delivery of the information without the need to convert it to paper form. Each step removed reduces cost and also errors. Video tape replaced film. Digital video replaced digital tape. It is the same for books. The thought, which is the important reason for libraries and archives, is what is being communicated. That thought now is being delivered digitally to the recipient from the writer. Therefore, just as is happening in the printed media world, the amount of information provided in printed form is declining. Printing here means ink onto paper. Printing digitally on machines and screens is what the future holds. Yes, it cost money. That is why I suggested not hiring two new people, but maybe one. That would provide two years of funding to move forward. I would suspect that many of the books people want are available digitally. In fact, since money is an issue, digital books cost less than their printed counterparts. Maybe a field trip to Timberland by the Library Board would be called for. We may learn from them. We may even be able to contract the database and IT portion of our library from them. Has anyone asked? Why reinvent the wheel?
Good conversation going here, and I agree with points all have made. I personally have not used a Library in more than 30 years because I have not needed to. I have been fortunate enough to acquire my own library and I admit, I have (very Happily) come in to the 21st Century with an e reader of my very own! However, let me say this….I WILL NOT GET RID OF MY PAPER BOOKS!!!! Not paperbacks or hardbound! Some of them are more than 30 years old (my own purchases I mean) and they have been well cared for and re-read many times. All of that said, I still believe a Public Library is worth every penny it costs us and that children, even in this day and age need to learn to love and respect books in a printed form…well, on paper that is lol! It’s the very best way to start life and those that don’t, like my husband, will hopefully learn it somewhere down the line as he has. Tell someone who has searched for a first edition and paid an arm and a leg for it, that it is worthless because they can now read that same book digitally reproduced. I would guess they would laugh at you or be stupified by that attitude. There again, just my honest opinion.
I believe digitally archiving information is different than saying books are obsolete. I bet they don’t burn or throw away those books once they’ve been archived, do they?
I don’t believe you can compare books to VHS and records, simply because the latter are already media that needed to be played on a machine, the machine just improved.
Is there room to expand our technology at the library? Absolutely! Audio books, downloads, having our card catalog online are all things that are being discussed and planned for. But you know, technology takes money and people power ~ two things we don’t currently have.
I’m hearing people bemoan the lack of programs, technology, hours, and resources at our library and then in the same breath complain about spending money on more help. You really can’t have it both ways.
If you don’t like what you see, then get involved (Randy, I’m not directing this only to you…I mean to everyone who feels this way), spend time volunteering and seeing what really happens behind the scenes. I think you’d be surprised to find out how much goes on and how much work it takes.
The book is not changing, the media is. That means that the paper book is going the way of the buggy whip. There may be some around, but they will not be the main source of written words. They, like records, video tapes, and other media will be replaced. Many schools now provide computers to their students with their class materials loaded on them. No books to lug around, get lost, or eaten by the dog.
That is the reality. Strange that the Library of Congress is digitally archiving the books the have now. That is because the book itself deteriorates and the information is what is important and not the media it was previously stored upon.
You could hire ONE more person, not two. Hire the librarian with modern skills and the ability to run the technology of a modern library. That represents 65 thousand dollars a year. I think that is more than the 20 to 40 thousand spent in the past.
I do recall reading an article that backs up the change in media types. http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/e-books-environmental-impact-0720
Here is another evauation: http://gigaom.com/2010/08/17/books-vs-ebooks/
And once again with how sales are increasing. Also an interesting speed of reading study on a small group of readers:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38108599/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
Another on how the reader can find passages they want and words or other things like highlighting. All good for students and scholars:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_ways_that_ebooks_are_better_than_paper_books.php
I’m going to respectfully say that that is a very short sighted view.
“Books are becoming obsolete” No. Not even close.
And not hiring people? Walk in to ANY library across the country, cutting edge, technologically first in class and I guarantee you will find more than ONE person working there.
If this thing wins, they should really consider not hiring people because that money goes right out the window every year. Past budgets show that the majority of the money goes to labor and very little goes to materials. Why do we go to the library? To get the materials! If the extra money is put into the technology, similar to Timberland, citizens might find greater value in the library. If one can access the databases, online music, online books, ebooks and other services from home, like Timberland, there would be greater support. Also, all that technology is here for years to come. Maybe dump the old software built for a school library and get Timberland’s software system. Also, automate the book check out system and you solve that labor issue. Books are becoming obsolete. The cost of paper, shipping, and storage are driving the move to other delivery methods. I know I will hear about how “older” citizens want to hold a paper, hold a book, or hold onto the old way of doing things. However, what are you providing your youth who currently are being disadvantaged by not learning the new methods? Will we hold them back like they are in the school system here? Their technology plan at school is the 2007 to 2010 technology plan that is going to start in 2011. It is time for Ocean Shores to move into the 21st century. Even our city uses Excel 2003 when Excel 2010 is out on the market. How do we communicate with our consultants and citizens when they too are behind the times by 7 years. How many of our council members can not read, will not admit it, or ignore information sent to them in current technology and software? Maybe that explains a great deal of the issues here.
I feel like we’re never going to know!