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- Newsgroups: misc.writing
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu!johnh
- From: johnh@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (John J Humpal)
- Subject: Re: support for the arts in the US
- Message-ID: <1992Dec15.175442.423@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>
- Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
- References: <1gdaaqINN1kg@agate.berkeley.edu> <1992Dec14.144232.21162@syma.sussex.ac.uk> <1gikq6INNra5@agate.berkeley.edu>
- Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:54:42 GMT
- Lines: 43
-
- In article <1gikq6INNra5@agate.berkeley.edu> curtis@cs.berkeley.edu (Curtis Yarvin) writes:
- >
- >If you want poor people to be able to read, you should give
- >them money - not libraries.
- >
-
- Mr. Yarvin later compounded his error by writing:
- >
- >When you spend X dollars on libraries for the poor, instead of giving
- >the poor X dollars, what you are saying is:
- >
- >"You do not have enough money to spend on things you need, but we do not
- >trust you to decide what things you need. Therefore, instead of giving you
- >money, which you would not spend wisely, we will give you what we think
- >is best for you."
- >
- My goodness. Who ever said that libraries were only for the poor?
- Do you believe that libraries are mere book repositories? Perhaps you
- ought to visit one. Speak to a reference librarian. You'll find that the
- modern library does far more than simply lend books; it is an information
- resource. This may come as a surprise to you, but many people don't
- maintain large, private book collections; many do not have any access to
- the specialized information that a librarian can provide. Public libraries
- provide these services, and many others, to all of us.
- I see by your internet address that you are somehow connected
- to Berkeley where you have, no doubt, had many occassions to make use of
- that university's publicly funded library system. I'd wager that you did
- more than check out the latest Danielle Steele novel. A question: if the
- State were to give you a fistful of money and tell you that it was your
- "share" of what was *not* spent on Berkeley's libraries, do you think it
- would be enough to pay for all the published volumes, journals, periodicals,
- and cataloging services the library once provided?
- >If you approve of this attitude, probably the less said the better.
- >
- Ditto.
-
-
-
- --
- -John
-
- John J. Humpal -- johnh@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu -- short .sig, std. disclaimer
-
-