Library Lights Go Off

Library Lights Go Off

Derrick Jackson argues rationally to encourage library use. (Derrick Z.
Jackson, "As TVs go on, library lights go off," Boston Globe, May 30, 2007)
Unfortunately the decisions regarding library funding are made by politicians or
politicians masquerading as City Managers.
Reading is dangerous from the perspective of deceptive politicians. People
who read books seldom give money to politicians. Few politicians read.
There is no tangible return from keeping libraries open. They are used as a
refuge by persons without homes. They encourage critics who learn that the
politicians may be misleading the public.
A way to overrule the interests of the self serving politicians is lacking.
That is why libraries are one of the first budget items receiving the axe.



--
Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

As TVs go on, library lights go off
By Derrick Z. Jackson,
Boston Globe Columnist
May 30, 2007

PLOP 'M DOWN. Kill the libraries. Fry the kids.

In a study in this month's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,
researchers found that 40 percent of children regularly watched television by 3
months old. By age 2, 90 percent watch an average of 1 1/2 hours of TV a day.

So much for doctor's orders. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children
should watch no television before age 2, as studies show that too much TV leads
to poor grades, attention deficit, obesity, and bullying. Denting the myth that
exhausted parents use TV merely as a cheap babysitter, two-thirds of parents
have convinced themselves the boob tube is a major educational and social
resource.

A combined 66.5 percent of parents say they let their infants and toddlers watch
television because the shows and videos are "good" for their brains, help them
relax, socialize with siblings, and get along well with others, and because they
"enjoy" them.
[...]
Derrick Z. Jackson's e-mail address is jackson@globe.com.