Oakland Public Library extinction

I have worked at the Oakland Public and at other public libraries in the Bay Area. I have also worked at libraries where Group 4 has made management-directed changes to facilities and service models.

There are plenty of good reasons to be suspicious of an agenda to introduce "New Models of Service". It is also undoubtedly correct that these changes are made with a minimum of public input and that management does not want public input.

But what this posting says about the public – many of whom, I would like to point out, are working class - are not appropriate.

"Children (today that would be 3 to 30 year olds) almost never read. And if they do, it is via a personal surveillance device. It is becoming harder and harder to find more recent "books" in paper editions. Use the library's website to try and find all but the mind-numbing, mass-media pablum. "

There are many children and young adults in Oakland who would beg to differ. You could just visit the Children's or Teen’s Room at the Main Library on a weekday and see how many of them are there, reading. And not everything they read is “mind-numbing, mass-media pablum”. Unless you consider graphic novels to be pablum. Did you enjoy “V for Vendetta”?
(Actually I thought V for Vendetta was not very good. In my opinion it glorifies individualistic acts since the hero doesn’t act collectively. But after all, it’s a graphic novel and for a graphic novel it was quite exceptional. Anyway, some people think it’s great).

This statement disrespectful to the kids and shows a real lack of confidence in the community.

I personally think that a lot of mass market literature is horrible, boring stuff. But it’s central to the library’s mission that people are given access to the information and reading material they want. If somebody wants to read the latest James Patterson book (who I personally think is trash) it is not up to me to make a value judgment about it.

It’s true that many people don’t read. I used to work at a community college and some of the students had never read a book from cover to cover in their lives. But even if they’re reading “mind-numbing, mass-media pablum”, you know, at least they’re reading. And it can lead to unexpected places. Time and time again exceptional writers and organizers develop out of reading “mind-numbing, mass-media pablum”. Hell, often they don’t even give it up after they become famous.

If I go about condemning what the majority of patrons are reading, or think of the public as “cattle”, the next time it comes around the stuff that goes will be the stuff you love. The Communist Manifesto, the Conquest of Bread and the Wretched of the Earth will be the books to go. All the titles on the book shields. I’ve seen it happen.

I think it’s a good thing that somebody is bringing up Group 4, they’re certainly elitists. But I hope the original poster will reconsider their position.