Save Our Libraries Rally

This Saturday, December 6th, V-Media was at the Save Our Libraries Rally on 19th and Vine. Mayor Nutter announced that he'll be cutting 11 library branches out of 54, a decision that has upset a lot of people, groups and communities. Among the groups present were Friends of the Free Library, who are organizing petition drives and raising money to keep the libraries open. They were also suggesting that instead of closing some of the libraries, the whole system should share the cut, by closing on some days or reducing their hours.

Check out the video from the event! (We started editing our footage to make it more digestible - let us know what you think :)



Some of the reasoning behind choosing to close 11 library branches was looking at the branches that lend out the least books. But from all the interviews we did, and all the people we talked to, young people and community members use libraries more to access the internet, apply for jobs and find resources that are not available to them in their homes or already underfunded schools. Librarians serve as pathfinders and instructors, guiding library patrons to accurate sources and assisting them in using the software they need to get jobs and do their homework.

The other reason 11 library branches are getting cut is because apparently Philadelphia has more libraries per capita than many other cities, and the director Siobhan Reardon would like to make it a "smaller, stronger system". Sure, Philly may have "too many" libraries. But it also has one of the highest crime rates, drop-out rates, unemployment rates and one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. Maybe cutting libraries will make sense, when you fix our schools, community centers, after-school and violence prevention programs.

If that is not convincing, maybe the man who convinced the whole country last month will be. President-Elect Barack Obama says he got his community organizing job at the library. Philadelphia, are you sacrificing the future of potential president-elects?