OTTAWA — During November, city council was wrestling with its 2008 budget. It was a tough call. Despite Mayor Larry O’Brien’s election promise not to raise taxes, council was faced with an economic reality that called for more money to meet rising costs. On the table was a proposal to shut down 10 of the city’s public libraries.
On the initiative of George Laidlaw, President of Ottawa Independent Writers, a consultation was held with Randy Ray, OIW Publicity Director, and Carl Dow, then Director at Large and now OIW Vice-President.
The trio produced the following document that was mailed to city hall Thursday, November 22:
To the Mayor and Members of Ottawa City Council:
If the record-breaking Harry Potter success story proves anything, it proves that children — not to forget adults young and old — love to read books. Against this background alone, it is appalling to learn that city council is considering a proposal to close as many as 10 branches of the Ottawa Public Library.
It may be that some members of council conclude that public libraries are becoming redundant because of growing access to the Internet. This calls to mind the ominous predictions of the demise of live theatre when movies found their place in our culture. The day of the stage is dead, said some. And so it was when television entered the scene — sure enough, it was said that public interest in movies lurked deadly just around the corner. And today, the Internet will replace books. However, as before, it’s not going to happen.
What these doomsayers failed (and today fail) to understand is that all of the above represent different and lasting forms of literature. They don’t replace. They complement. They combine to increase the quantity and quality of human knowledge. Public libraries are a cornerstone of this process.
The 190 members of the Ottawa Independent Writers fully understand that it takes money to run a city. We suggest, however, that in the long run it will cost money to make access to a public library difficult for the reading public. And our definition of reading includes all the other visual and sound forms that are available in an excellent system that needs protection rather than assault.
On behalf of OIW and of the residents of the City of Ottawa, I urge you to turn away from the idea of trimming our public library system as a source of funds. Thanking you for your consideration, I am
Yours sincerely
George Laidlaw, President
Ottawa Independent Writers
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On Wednesday, December 12, Mayor O’Brien brought down his budget, living up to a prior motion that city services like public libraries and arenas would not be cut. The budget calls for a 4.9 per cent tax increase.
OIW president George Laidlaw was unavailable for comment.
Carl Dow, OIW vice-president said, “I know this must have been a difficult decision for Mayor O’Brien. He ran on a platform of zero tax increase. A successful businessman, he said he would run the city like a business. The problem is that while you can, and should, be business-like when running a city, what’s important to keep in mind is that a complicated municipal government is simply not a business. To his credit, Mr. O’Brien is learning this and is conducting himself with common sense and grace. Congratulations go to him and Ottawa city council for protecting our public libraries.”
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