Statement before the Glenn A. Walsh
Council
of the
City
of
Lower North Side -- Telephone: 412-561-7876
Two
Years with No Electronic
Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Public Library Service Internet Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Despite Repaired Library 2008 April 24
Good morning. I am Glenn A.
Walsh of
This month marks two years
that the Lower North Side has gone without public library service. The first
year of no library service may have been unavoidable, due to the tragic
lightning strike that temporarily closed the historic Allegheny Regional Branch
of Carnegie Library, However, this circumstance has been completely avoidable since repairs to the Allegheny Regional Library
were completed in May of last year!
Although Library management
has stated that books have been removed from the Allegheny Regional Library,
anyone who looks in the Library’s front doors today can see that not all of the books have been removed from
the building. All of the book stacks, visible from the front doors, are
full of books! It is likely that books were removed only from the sections of
the building that were damaged. At any rate, it is obvious that many of the
Allegheny Regional Library’s books remain, waiting for the public.
How long will the public have
to wait to use these books? There still
has not even been a groundbreaking for the proposed new North Side library! Why
cannot Carnegie Library reopen the Allegheny Regional Library, now, and then move the books later if
they must have this fancy new library?
The point is that the City of
I realize that you do not
wish to micromanage Carnegie Library. But, where do you draw the line? When a
City-owned asset is taking City money, but not performing the earmarked
service, is it not your responsibility
to formally address this matter?
I ask that you address this
matter by directing Carnegie Library management to reopen the Allegheny Regional Library within the next two months,
even if they actually build a new library, someday.
Thank you.
gaw