1. The Free Library is basically refusing to release the criteria by which libraries were selected for closings. Something that is slightly under-reported in this whole story has been the fact the libraries selected for closing were so chosen at the hand of The Free Library of Philadelphia. But despite many requests from community activists, we are hearing today that the Library is refusing to share its criteria and research for the closings. The buck stops with Free Library President Siobhan A. Reardon (email her at reardons[at]freelibrary[dot]org or call 215-686-5300), but don’t be surprised if you get a heavy sigh from whoever answers the phone and the intimation that the deal is already done. Despite a massive public outcry and a base of Philadelphians who will do ANYTHING to save these libraries, all movements from the Free Library and the City seem to want to shut down any open dialogue, except for these town halls that the Nutter Administration just set up where the overall message is going to be Nutter just saying, “Sorry, too late.” Those should be fun.

2. The City is so anxious to shutter the properties that they’ve already begun re-assigning librarians and making noises about selling the sites, contrary to the very real possibility of a private-public partnership being able to come in and save them. We heard Amy Dougherty of Friends Of The Free Library on WHYY earlier today announce a new $10 challenge fund drive (go there and donate today!), as well as a request for more time from the City, so a private-public partnership could be researched and established. This is not an unreasonable request. In fact, it’s the only civilized one out there.

3. Ah, Fishtown, you are still hysterically, confoundingly racist and xenophobic. Hearing some Fishtown residents reserve a special, creepy kind of anger for Mayor Nutter at last week’s Save The Fishtown Library was nasty enough. But pitting the library against the Brotherhood Mission? For shame.

4. And Councilman Bill Green, you’re playing into it like a little punk. At the same rally, Green rose the rabble a little more, pitting the libraries against the Nutter Admin’s green causes like Bike Czar and Office Of Sustainability. Way to turn this into a class warfare thing, you freakin’ mook. Wise up, man.

5. Dude, we thought better of you. We hate to harp, really we do — we’d so much rather be posting about hipsters stealing CD players and how the Inky is going to be owned by a bank before the decade’s out — but the expedience here, and how quickly the Dude is willing to let these libraries go, some of ‘em nearly a century old, speaks not of desperation but of something else. Something not transparent. Something we didn’t vote for. These libraries aren’t gonna break the city. Surely, given just a little time, they can be saved. There has to be a way.

TAKEAWAY: CONTACT THE MAYOR! CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL REPS! CONTACT THE FREE LIBRARY! MAKE NOISE! DONATE TO THE FRIENDS! THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pm.