An “opinion piece” that briefly appeared in Forbes this past Saturday has evoked strong public outcry in defense of public libraries and has also presented Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin, other local officials and public library administrators with an opportunity to highlight the manifold programs and services which are being offered at these centers of education, culture and socialization. The op-ed piece, entitled “Amazon Should Replace Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money,” claimed that libraries don’t provide the same value to the public that they once did. The opinion item further contended that libraries have been largely replaced by Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Amazon Prime, Netflix and other private for-profit resources. Clavin and the library officials called the opinion piece ill-conceived, evidencing a lack of appreciation for the depth and breadth of services, programs, activities and other resources that are provided by local libraries. They also observed that libraries serve as a uniquely vital link to educational services, after school activities and other programs for residents of economically disadvantaged communities where many lack computer and Internet access. Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin, Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana, Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, Oceanside Public Library Director Christina Marra and Oceanside Public Library Assistant Director for Community Services Anthony Iovino joined together at the Oceanside Library to speak out against the op-ed piece and to call upon the public to visit their local libraries, explore and learn.
The officials pointed out a host of programs that are offered at the Oceanside Library, as well as many other public libraries. Of course, the facility offers a vast collection of reading and research materials from novels and reference volumes to “how-to” guides, biographies, historical records and classical literature. Online access and video rentals complement a robust network of library resources such as hard-to-find and rare documents. Art exhibits, lectures, performances, movies and classes abound at the library. Literacy classes, “Baby Playhooray” and “Teens N Tots” are also popular with members of the community. Additionally, Clavin, Cabana and D’Esposito all offer educational lecture seminars at area libraries. Clavin presents programs on how to reduce your taxes, D’Esposito offers lifesaving lectures on how to administer “Narcan” to opioid overdose victims and Cabana has recently brought bi-lingual reading programs to area communities. In fact, Anthony Iovino, Assistant Director for Community Services at the Oceanside Library, was slated to offer a lecture, entitled “An Introduction to Birding”, immediately after the press briefing in response to the Forbes op-ed piece.
What’s more, in addition to an enormous collection of books, magazines, newspapers and other publications, many libraries offer a wide array of e-books to borrow for Kindles and tablets. Library cards also offer access to a variety of databases some of which are used for scholarly and ancestry research, as well as educational tools for children that are available both at the library and from your home computer, laptop or tablet. Most libraries also offer free Wi-Fi, as well as computer and printing stations. Additionally, libraries also offer also a giant selection of must-see DVDs and Blu-rays for recent and classic movies as well as music albums and audio books. Library cards also provide patrons with access to free passes, by availability, to a long list of museums and attractions, including the Long Island Children’s Museum, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and even a free day at the beach with an Empire Pass.
This entry was posted in Don Clavin, Town of Hempstead and tagged Amazon Should Replace Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money on July 26, 2018 by wp-admin.