Cities 07

The focus of my research is going to Twin Cites Libraries. I chose this topic because there have been several news articles and news stores about our libraries recently and how many have been forced to closed down or cut back on hours. This happens mostly from lack of funds but also a lack of interest from a community (or communities becoming less dense resulting in less tax funds), or because libraries are becoming unused.
I would like to find out why our libraries are becoming increasingly unpopular and what city councils are doing to save them (or if they see a need to). I would also like to see what types of communities are losing their libraries and which are not.
To research this I will attend community meetings in areas that have lost or may lose a library, and observe those who attend and see what is of relevance in these meetings. I will also go to many of these libraries and get some information there by just observing who is using the facilities, how many people, and the condition of the library. In addition, how equipped libraries are with computers and internet access. A majority of my research will be through newspaper archives to find out if this problem is gradual or “overnight” and the general time line of this and some of the key factors contributing to this problem.
The theorist that I will frame my project around will be Melvin Webber. He felt that as readily available global communication and transportation is available to an “affluent class of people”, poor people will be further left behind, as they will be “deprived of access to technology”. This is what I see happening as libraries close down. Libraries are free sources of information. If a society continues to close places of free information, you also are closing the doors of this information and technology to those who cannot afford it personally in their homes. People are being cut out of the information loop, the learning and education loop. This is why I am curious to see which neighborhoods are having problems holding on to their libraries. I would like to tie this research report to another theorist but I think I will have to wait and see what I find. Perhaps Wirth with his ideas of “Urbanism as a way of life” would be something I could tie in to this research. I’ve never heard of a major city without a library.
So far I have found several articles about Minneapolis libraries and their recent struggles. I hope to find more and attend community meetings where I can hear some dialogue on this topic (hopefully).