Friends of the Glendale Public Library: Voices Needed!


Friends of the Glendale Public Library hold their annual meeting to elect board members and hear about the status of Glendale library programs tonight (Thursday), 6 p.m., at the Central Library Auditorium.

Friends’ voices and support are needed right now, as Governor Brown’s latest budget totally eliminates California state funding for the Library Services Act, the Public Library Foundation, and the state literacy services program. Not only are these programs in jeopardy, so is approximately $16 million in federal funding tied to them.

Glendale city council member Laura Friedman suggested eliminating Glendale’s ebook program during city budget deliberations this week, saying patrons could be referred to the Los Angeles library system, which has a larger selection. Such a move would handicap Glendale’s Library Arts & Culture Department, making it less flexible as future format changes in information resources occur.

Protecting the role of the public library in these uncertain times is critical. All Friends of the Library (join if you haven’t yet!) should attend tonight’s meeting, hear about what the library is doing in our community, and speak to neighbors and colleagues and especially elected officials in the coming days.

Following the meeting will be another free Friends of the Library author event at 7 p.m. featuring local physician Dr. Lawrence Dorrs.