Life without Libraries
Responses
The shelves are full of magazines from Europe, Asia, and South America.
The shelves are full of magazines from Europe, Asia, and South America.
Here in Morningside, the libraries are extremely useful for students.
Here in Morningside, the libraries are extremely useful for students.
Mayor Ryan is proposing that the Morningside City Council approve holding a July referendum on a tax increase to fund the libraries.
Mayor Ryan is proposing that the Morningside City Council approve holding a July referendum on a tax increase to fund the libraries.
Adults can work on their reading and writing skills or study to get their high school diplomas.
Life without Libraries
Morningside Daily News
Morningside Daily News
Thomas Jefferson once said, “I cannot live without books.” Well, a town can’t live without libraries. Because of a $5 million shortfall in the budget this year, our city may decide to close down its only two public libraries. The Kennedy Library and the Cather Library may lock their doors forever this fall. Morningside, we must act now!
Libraries are a necessity. They make knowledge available to everyone, free of charge. How can people be free if they can’t educate themselves? Even during the Great Depression, the hardest economic times in the history of the United States, no one closed down the libraries. In fact, the government even paid for bookmobiles–trucks that brought library books to distant schools and small towns. People were hungry and out of work, but they still needed to read. The situation doesn’t seem nearly as bad now, but the city government still wants to close our libraries!
Here in Morningside, the libraries are extremely useful for students. Students go to the libraries after school. The libraries are safe places to do homework, look for different books, or let imaginations wander. Students also have access to computers and the Internet there. Some don’t have computers at home, and the libraries are the only places where they can do school projects. Also, it can be expensive to pay for online service at cafes and copy centers. At the public libraries, access to the Internet is free. Where will students go if they close?
Not only students but also adults take advantage of library services. Catching up on news from all over the world, a small crowd is always drawn to the periodicals room. The shelves are full of magazines from Europe, Asia, and South America. My grandfather goes there on Sunday mornings to read the Spanish newspapers and journals. Sometimes I go with him. We stay for hours, reading to each other in our two languages. Every weekend, the periodicals room is alive with people debating world events.
The libraries also offer reading instruction, a very important service. Adults can work on their reading and writing skills or study to get their high school diplomas. There is also a story hour for families. Parents and children can practice reading together. The best thing is that each of these services is free. If you want to read, all you need is a desire to learn; the resources are there for you. What will happen to people’s reading if the libraries close?
It’s not too late to keep our libraries open. Mayor Ryan is proposing that the Morningside City Council approve holding a July referendum on a tax increase to fund the libraries. I know no one likes higher taxes. Think about it, though. Would a few dollars in your pocket make up for everything we’d lose? Could you really live without books? When the increase shows up on the ballot, please vote yes for our public libraries.
Janice Guerro
Concerned Middle School Student
1 answer
The sentence from "Life without Libraries" that makes a claim is:
"Here in Morningside, the libraries are extremely useful for students."
This sentence asserts the usefulness of libraries specifically for students in Morningside, which is a clear claim regarding the value of libraries in that context.
