Do you value your library? (Atlanta, Savannah: houses, transfer, neighborhoods)

[cityfilms]

No i dont value it. Barnes and noble has coffee.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by cityfilms

No i dont value it. Barnes and noble has coffee.

Georgia Tech and Georgia State libraries have coffee shops. Between the two, I think Georgia State's is much better.

[bryantm3]

i'm relatively conservative for a democrat, but one thing that convinces me not to cross the line to the GOP is services like the public library. i think that if public libraries did not exist, the GOP would oppose funding them. unlike many democrats i don't believe in the government running businesses or taxing corporations, but i draw the line when it comes to equality for citizens. every child should have access to an equal education in the united states, and every person should have access to a public library.

it even angers me that the city of atlanta has been so lax in taking care of its own neighbourhoods. i understand that some neighbourhoods have more crime than others, but there is absolutely no reason that things that the city is responsible for should go undone in poorer neighbourhoods. look at the lack of streetlights in places like english avenue, at the trash piled up in the streets in capitol view. you know good and damned well that if someone had trash in the street in buckhead, the city'd pick it up in 4 hours.

so yes, i do value public libraries and other public services. just because i don't think the government should be involved in trying to control businesses with subsidies and favouring certain businesses over others that provide the same services, doesn't mean i'm an ass hole.

[Box]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

i'm relatively conservative for a democrat, but one thing that convinces me not to cross the line to the GOP is services like the public library. i think that if public libraries did not exist, the GOP would oppose funding them. unlike many democrats i don't believe in the government running businesses or taxing corporations, but i draw the line when it comes to equality for citizens. every child should have access to an equal education in the united states, and every person should have access to a public library.

it even angers me that the city of atlanta has been so lax in taking care of its own neighbourhoods. i understand that some neighbourhoods have more crime than others, but there is absolutely no reason that things that the city is responsible for should go undone in poorer neighbourhoods. look at the lack of streetlights in places like english avenue, at the trash piled up in the streets in capitol view. you know good and damned well that if someone had trash in the street in buckhead, the city'd pick it up in 4 hours.

so yes, i do value public libraries and other public services. just because i don't think the government should be involved in trying to control businesses with subsidies and favouring certain businesses over others that provide the same services, doesn't mean i'm an ass hole.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

You're entitled to your opinions.

I've just never seen any ranking of how good a hospital is ever use its walkability to restaurants and bars as a metric.

Nor have I for libraries. But if you want to pick your hospitals and libraries that way, go nuts.

Not that walkability to these things hurts. It just won't make up for other significant shortfalls. I don't know if Decatur has a good library or not, but most people would judge that based on its collection, resources.....

OMG, why am I even arguing this point? It's ludicrous.

Some people on this board.....

i'm pretty sure it was a joke.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

You must get hammered or high before going in. The inside drearier than as outside. The bathrooms are deplorable, offices are in lock down even when the staff are at their desk. The library layout is awful with a confusing and poorly equipped circulation desk. So much of the interior looks so dirty that I don't even want to touch anything.

Hmm. I'm able to walk in, find what I want within a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, you're lost and confused. And I'M the one who's high? Gotcha.

I've never been inside the bathroom at the downtown library. I generally avoid bathrooms in all old/public buildings. GSU's men's rooms (particularly the 4th floor of library north) is a notorious hot spot for molestation and peeping toms, so it's probably far worse than the public library. Believe me. I used to work there.

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

You're entitled to your opinions.

I've just never seen any ranking of how good a hospital is ever use its walkability to restaurants and bars as a metric.

Nor have I for libraries. But if you want to pick your hospitals and libraries that way, go nuts.

Not that walkability to these things hurts. It just won't make up for other significant shortfalls. I don't know if Decatur has a good library or not, but most people would judge that based on its collection, resources.....

OMG, why am I even arguing this point? It's ludicrous.

Some people on this board.....

Apparently my sarcasm did not come through.

[residinghere2007]

Honestly I don't value the library system here in Atlanta.

I don't really like the central branch, the architecture doesn't bother me, but it just is not a friendly place IMO. I actually like the building itself. I think they need a technology upgrade and a better layout and better employees because they just are not welcoming or friendly to me.

I used to live in Marietta, not far from the main Cobb library and I loved that library and went often but it was not as good as my hometown's library system. Even though it is a dinky city we had a great library and it was the center of a lot of city/community events (concerts, all sorts of free long term programs for children, etc.) and they still have very helpful and friendly staff, plus a brand new, beautiful building with internet cafes, actual cafes, and a great genealogy center. I have yet to find one to compare to it here in metro Atlanta, but I think that has to do with the fact that where I'm from a lot of tax dollars fund the library system and everyone values libraries and other public venues. I don't find that to be the case here. I also think more people go to the library here to use the computers versus any sort of research or anything else. It would be great if they upgraded the computers for everyone at a minimum.

Wanted to add, the closest library to me is the central location and Washington Park. The Washington Park branch is very nice, even though it is small. I also like the West End branch, the people at both these locations are rather helpful. I'd say Washington Park is my favorite as they have an excellent, approachable, friendly children's librarian on staff.

[anadyr21]

I don't value our libraries as much as I used to. When my son was younger, we were there several times a week. We attended many of the children's programs and checked out different books once a week. Over the years, the overall number of children's activities have been lowered, plus generally, there are fewer activities designed for tweens and teens. In addition, with the advent of electronic reading devices, there has been less of a need to use the library. We still go 2 or 3 times a month, but the books we get tend to have a major visual component, ie, lots of pictures or sheet music, which aren't effectively reproduced on certain electronic devices.

There is something to be said about a library being in proximity to other things. In another city I lived in, the library was across the street from the botanical garden, which also had children's activities and a playground. After that, we could grab a bite to eat nearby.

I would hate to see libraries close entirely, since I still think we have a need for some of their services. However, I think libraries are slowly becoming obsolete. At this point, there are few books I can find in the library, that I can't find electronically.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

Honestly I don't value the library system here in Atlanta.

I don't really like the central branch, the architecture doesn't bother me, but it just is not a friendly place IMO. I actually like the building itself. I think they need a technology upgrade and a better layout and better employees because they just are not welcoming or friendly to me.

I used to live in Marietta, not far from the main Cobb library and I loved that library and went often but it was not as good as my hometown's library system. Even though it is a dinky city we had a great library and it was the center of a lot of city/community events (concerts, all sorts of free long term programs for children, etc.) and they still have very helpful and friendly staff, plus a brand new, beautiful building with internet cafes, actual cafes, and a great genealogy center. I have yet to find one to compare to it here in metro Atlanta, but I think that has to do with the fact that where I'm from a lot of tax dollars fund the library system and everyone values libraries and other public venues. I don't find that to be the case here. I also think more people go to the library here to use the computers versus any sort of research or anything else. It would be great if they upgraded the computers for everyone at a minimum.

Wanted to add, the closest library to me is the central location and Washington Park. The Washington Park branch is very nice, even though it is small. I also like the West End branch, the people at both these locations are rather helpful. I'd say Washington Park is my favorite as they have an excellent, approachable, friendly children's librarian on staff.

what they oughta do is restore and reopen the carnegie library over there down the street from you. beautiful old building in horrid condition.