...and No One Even Noticed

Think Tank #35

They say people treat you the way you let them.

This is certainly true on an individual level. If you don’t stand up for yourself, some people will walk all over you.

But what about on the community level?

Yesterday, John and I realized that public libraries in New York City are closed on Sundays.

A few months ago, the city announced a series of budget cuts, and the libraries were among the worst victims. Their budget for new books has been cut. I’m assuming staff has been affected. Worst of all, they are being forced to cut service on Sundays, one of their busiest days.

Libraries are often overlooked. They’re not the most glamorous places in the city. Many people forget they exist. However, they’re havens for eager children anxious to find their next book to read, or for adults looking for a quiet place to work on a project or spend an afternoon.

The city loves to run its mouth about inclusivity and accessibility—the library was the only place for people to go if they couldn’t afford their own Internet connection. Sucks for that kid who goes to the library to work on his research papers over the weekend.

New York has been undervaluing its libraries for a while. I saw an ad on a bus over the summer that said “Libraries—the coolest place in town.” It was an ad for the library’s air conditioning. Yes. The most useful function the city could think of for its libraries was for them to double as daytime homeless shelters. Now, no air conditioning (or heat) on Sundays. I guess the library/homeless haven business model didn’t work out so well. Either that or the ads didn’t generate enough traffic.

This is at best gross mismanagement, and at worst, malevolence. Taxes in New York keep going up, and we’re seeing less and less for our money every year.

Yet where was the outrage?

No one said a word in the libraries’ defense. Even John and I, who frequent libraries fairly regularly, took over two months to notice.

Would the city have gone through with this if they had expected an outcry?

Politicians have always been crooked and corrupt. But they can only get away with as much as the populace will stand.

We’ve gotten to the point as a population where we feel so powerless, it doeesn’t even feel worth it to complain anymore. It’s only going to get worse.

And the reason the libraries are such a terrifying target is that, without proper education, New Yorkers of the future will be powerless to stand up for anything.