KOLP Community

Thank you once again to Julio and Lilia Reyes of Julius at the Mannerchor Plaza for providing the food and venue for our KOLP Kickoff Fundraiser this past week. Thank you to Chris of Bill’s Bread on 26th St. for providing the rolls. And to our entertainment—Britches, Ruth Ann Scanzillo, and Matt Texter—thank you for lending us your talent.
One of the functions of a library is to bring a community together. It’s sad that in our case, it’s the threat to our library that is bringing us together. Although we have been disparaged as “four old ladies,” our group encompasses different generations, occupations, economic situations, genders, and races. Most of us didn’t even know each other prior to our efforts to keep a private, tax-exempt, religious institution from taking space in your public library. We just shared a love of the library. The coolest thing about the KOLP Kickoff was not the money we raised—although that was really cool—but the interactions I witnessed in the preparation for the event, the event itself, and the cleanup after the event. Everyone pitched in. We got stuff done. If something didn’t go as planned, we pivoted and made things succeed.
Unfortunately, as I’m sure you know, we can’t let our guard down. In addition to the lawsuit, the time for 2025 budget negotiations is approaching. We must remain vigilant so there is no cut in staff or services. How do we do this? By staying engaged. Make sure you particularly pay attention to the finance and personnel meetings, along with the general meetings. Information and streaming links are here: Stay Engaged. There’s also information on finding your rep on council if you don’t already know.

“Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”

~R. David Lankes

A Picture is Worth 3,200 Square Feet

It’s said a picture is worth a thousand words, so these 3 graphics are worth 3000 words….or 3,200 square feet as the case may be.

Facilities

More details are available here: Taxpayer Facts

“To ask why we need libraries at all, when there is so much information available elsewhere, is about as sensible as asking if roadmaps are necessary now that there are so very many roads.”

~Jon Bing

Defend Libraries

As we know from seeing it in our own backyard, libraries throughout the country are under attack. On the federal level, the House Appropriations Committee passed a budget with a 15% cut in federal library funding. The ALA has a website that will find your representative and senators and email them to express your support for libraries and opposition to this cut in funding: FundLibraries. You can also contact them directly via email or phone here:

Rep. Mike Kelly

Sen. Bob Casey

Sen. John Fetterman

If you are outside Erie County, PA you can locate your representative at House.gov and senators at Senate.gov. Let our lawmakers know that our libraries are valuable to our community and that we oppose any cuts in funding.

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

~Walter Cronkite

Small town mentality? Big city reality.

One narrative we have heard over and over about the lease is how innovative it is. This is the type of thing that big cities would do. If Erie wants to aspire to be like bigger cities, then a lab in the library is a great thing for tourism. Last week I went on vacation to Philadelphia. There, I sought out the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. I have a library card in the Philly system–details here: https://keepourlibrarypublic.com/2024/06/17/94/. The main library is located a short walk from Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It’s in a district that includes the Museum of Modern Art (yes, where Rocky ran up the steps), the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute, the Barnes Foundation, and Logan Square. I saw a beautiful building, books, people, sheet music, a summer reading program, and a security guard playing actual chimes to signal the quarter hour. I also saw a computer lab located accessibly on the first floor of the building. I saw an air-conditioned space on a 100 degree day. On the block behind the library was located Book Corner which is run by the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia. They operate this used book and media store year round to raise money for the library.

Do you know what I didn’t see in the library? Any outside entities. In a city that is home to U Penn, Villanova, Drexel, Temple, and LaSalle–big name, private universities, mind you–not one of them had taken up residence in the public library. This is a community that values its library system. They don’t use it as rental property. They value it as a community asset and keep it accessible to all citizens. Maybe Erie should aspire to bigger and better things if that includes treating its library as the community asset it is.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

~Benjamin Franklin

KOLP Kickoff!

Join us on Thursday, August 1st from 6:30-9:00 at the Maennerchor Plaza; 1607 State St.; Erie PA. The suggested donation $20 for great food and music with cash bar available. However, attorneys are expensive, so please give above and beyond the minimum for YOUR library!

Please either RSVP by July 29th to keepourlibrarypublic@gmail.com and give your donation at the door, or you can contribute online at https://go.rallyup.com/kickoff if you prefer.

Printable flyers are available here: FAQs.

Good books, like good friends are few and chosen; the more select, the more enjoyable.

~Louisa May Alcott

Butterflies and Books

For this summer your Erie County Public Library released butterflies that grew and metamorphized at
Blasco! They were released on July 3rd to enjoy their freedom in their new beautiful selves! It is an
entirely appropriate endeavor for your Erie County Public Library to nurture caterpillars in their protected chrysalis as the library is a cocoon of sorts for patrons. Every person can safely navigate the library’s expansive stacks of books, services and information. Just like sunshine and flowers nourish the butterfly, our library cultivates and nurtures minds with endless opportunities for each of us to form our own nurturing chrysalis of knowledge. It is the hub of personal growth, peace, and improvement and has been the Erie’s cocoon of sorts for over 125 years. It continues to be an invaluable community treasure and asset. Every visit to the library is a simple yet powerful opportunity to grow in yourself. We love our public library, and we thank them for the gift of freedom and knowledge they provide to our Gem City on the Great Lake of Erie, PA.

“’Just living is not enough,’ said the butterfly, ‘one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.’”

~Hans Christian Anderson

Copy/Waste

I thought for some perspective we’d look at what how the lease stacks up in terms of revenue generation at the library. Did you know that the copy machine generates $22, 000 per year for black and white copies and $3,000 for color copies for a total of $25,000 for your Blasco library? The revenue generated by the lease with Gannon University is $22,956 per year and takes 3200 square feet ($7/sq.ft). Huh.

**To clarify from the original post, the copy revenue is for all library outlets.

The lease and the library budget are both located on the FAQ page.

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”

~Albert Einstein

The Patriotism of Public Libraries

Public libraries in the USA are as patriotic as apple pie, baseball and the grand ole flag. These
community institutions are the cornerstone of a thriving democracy and beloved by all citizens. Your
public library is a hub of activity where folks learn, stay informed, and nourish their creativity. It is a safe space where the individual is valued, and every person is served. And a really good public library will contain materials enough to offend everyone and that is a very good thing indeed. Libraries serve to open minds.
The real estate of the library space is one of the most important aspects of making sure that all those
materials are regularly refreshed, renewed and replenished. A library must be nimble and readily flexible to change with the growing and evolving needs of its community based on patron and citizen input. In the landscape of contemporary times the need for libraries to pivot on the fly is crucial in serving all citizens.
Let’s make this summer of 2024 a moment where you discover something new about your library.
Challenge yourself and check out a book that offends you and commit to reading it and here is why;
Every citizen matters and when we learn about each other and others individually, we build community and empathy. That is the miracle of your public library. It is the modern frontier of exploration. Public libraries break boundaries and level the playing field for all citizens. Make a date with yourself or a friend and explore your library today, from offensive materials to your comforting favorites. It’s all good and all are welcome!

“We are a nation not only of dreamers, but also of fixers. We have looked at our land and people, and said, time and time again, ‘This is not good enough; we can be better.'”
― Dan Rather

Brick by Brick

By 1996, Erie had a library on South Park Row that was encased in scaffolding because the weight of the books was pulling the building apart, and chunks of the Beaux Arts structure were literally falling to the sidewalk. The scaffolding created tunnels making it safe for pedestrians to walk. It also had a Bayfront Highway, but no bayfront development, because no one wanted to take that risk. County officials at that time saw the value in libraries and made the courageous decision to move the library to the bayfront, starting the renaissance of development along the shoreline. Today, it is now one of the few spaces on the city bayfront open at no cost to the public aside from Dobbins Landing. In addition to the tax money used to fund the library, Penelec and the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority donated land to be used for a library and museum, and Raymond M. Blasco, M.D. donated a large sum of money for the library and bookmobile. Dr. Blasco passed away before the construction could be completed and the library was named in his memory. In addition to Dr. Blasco’s generous contribution, residents of Erie County gave above and beyond their tax dollars to create this beautiful bayfront library by giving bricks engraved with the name of loved ones. These bricks can be seen in the library lobby and specific bricks can be located by asking for the directory at the circulation desk.

Birth of the Blasco Library

A Waterfront Library

The Evolution of the Blasco Library

All available here as well: History

“May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to do what is right.”

~Peter Marshall