Community resists Hamline Midway Library closing
Mayor Chris Coleman met with the Saint Paul community Tuesday night, Feb. 24, 2009 to discuss budget cuts. To show their opposition to the proposed closing of their Hamline Midway Library, hundreds came dressed in red.
Several families taught their children how to petition their government by making signs and speaking up during the question and answer segment. They also created a “Save our library” blog (click link for updates and videos). The Star and Tribune covered Mayor Coleman’s previous meeting - “Mayor gives St. Paul libraries a dose of good and bad news“.
I live in this neighborhood. We use the library and need it as part of our family. Our son is able to go to the library and do homework before we get home from work. This provides a safe place for him between the time school gets out and we get home from work.
Please don’t close our library. Societies are judged by the content of their minds and the access they provide to their people to gain knowledge.
Hi Como Park Neighbors,
I’m a Hamline-Midway resident who’s been working on keeping the library open. Hamline-Midway is a very efficient and cost-effective library, serving a very large number of patrons with a small staff and square footage. I get the strong sense that Mayor Coleman feels it’s more politically safe to target one neighborhood for library closure than risk annoying the whole city by cutting back across the whole library system. I understand that cutting hours systemwide will inconvenience people but feel it’s a less permanent and damaging approach than closing down a neighborhood institution like the library completely. If you live in Councilmember Lee Helgen’s ward and care about the issue of making budget cuts equitably and protecting small neighborhood libraries like Hamline-Midway, please consider contacting Mr. Helgen. We need to show the mayor and city councilmember that St. Paulites believe in fairness. Councilmember Helgen’s phone number is 651-266-8650. The mayor can be reached at 651-266-8510.
Thank you!
Carrie