Sunday, June 21, 2009

Library Priviliges

The Express-Times has a story on a 7 year old boy from Tatamy who had received a library card, and later, when a library employee found out the boy lived in Tatamy, the card was revoked (read it here).

The reason for the revokation is that Tatamy is zoned with the Easton Library system, not Nazareth. Nazareth and Easton have no control over this as it is set by the state.

It would only make sense to align libraries with school districts, but this is bureacratic state-level, government, and one can hardly expect it to be practical and/or logical.

I feel bad for the parents and kid along with all the people in Tatamy who attend Nazareth schools, but can't use the Nazareth Library, but if they need to complain about the situation, they should be directing their attention to their state representative and senator about the situation, because that is the cause of the problem.

4 comments:

Bernie O'Hare said...

I don't think that's the point. This young man had already been using the library for two years. Some librarian, on seeing the Morning Call accouint identifying the boy as a tatamy resident, took it upon herself to play detective. Then, the boy is summarily dumped from Nazareth via voicemail. The way this was handled was extremely rude and defeats the very purpopse of a library, which is to encourage people (especially kids) to read.

Rules are always rules, but there was no need to make that young boy feel like dirt.

Elyssia said...

"...but this is bureacratic state-level, government, and one can hardly expect it to be practical and/or logical."

Which is precisely why I do NOT want the government involved in healthcare, the economy, the auto industry or anything else the private sector can take are of itself!

Poor kid. I hope he gets a new library card at Easton.

Joy Marsh, Independent Assoc. #361217 said...

Can't he get an Easton library card with an Access PA stamp and then continue to then use the Nazareth library?

Chris said...

Hi Ross - thanks for posting this story as I've been out of the country (but following it the best I could).

As a Tatamy resident (and now a Council member) I have always felt "shunned" if you will by the fact that the borough doesn't support the library in some form. I'm not sure what the right answer is (yet) but I would like to try and get something accomplished so our residents don't feel left out.