West Side Library To Close

[iwasthere]

the library board will meet tomorrow at the boardman library at 4pm to discuss the westside library. why did they schedule a board meeting concerning the westside library operation in the suburbs? the library board should hold the meeting at the westside branch, so the patrons do not have to drive out to the suburb to defend their library. the board went by the circulation of checkout books instead of using the number of patrons that use the computers, the reading area and other services that are not connected with books to make their decision of this library.

[sfc_oliver]

I don't know about the City But Lowellville lost their library several years ago. And I believed then and now that this is as important to a community as their schools. We now have a Funeral home instead.

[Rick Rowlands]

Hey people, wake up.  There are tough times ahead, and if the library system is to survive they will have to get rid of the deadwood to keep the other branches strong.   We are a shrinking city and shrinking cities don't need little rinky dink library branches everywhere just because a few people won't drive a car.  There is bus service to the main library from your neighborhood so use it.

[our2cents]

I was advised by West that they don't know when or where the meeting is, but they advised to call the public relations director.  Jay, I PM'd you about it.

[our2cents]

I'm not aware of the board meeting time or location, I was referring to the West Side Coalition meeting.  I did email all of the board members listed at the prior link I provided with a link to here.  If they truly want anyone to voice opinion, they would come on here and post a time and reply.

I just read how they purchased more land in canfield for $175,000.00!
http://www.libraryvisit.org/news031209.htm

But they can't come up with less than that to fix West, "$160.000.00"?
http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/jun/09/west-side-library-targeted-for-closure/?newswatch

[jay]

2 cents

Please list the library board's meeting location and the time of the meeting.  Maybe others would like to attend.

[our2cents]

I was planning on attending the meeting to give my opinion to any board members with the guts to show.     I am going to go with my original plan and send the message out to all.  I took the time to map out the bus routes and all information, including comparisons with other cities systems.  No other library in a city in Ohio has a library further than 1 mile from each other.  They also all built them with direct handicapped accessible bus routes!  The only way I could get to the Austintown library without a car, would be to call for special transportation which is 2.50 each way instead of the .70 each way it would take to get to main by 2 buses being handicapped.  Neither of these are a realistic option.  It then becomes an all day event to go pickup a book.  I'm so happy that I'm stable at this time and our family has a car. 

[irishbobcat]

isn't nice to know that we voted yes on the last library levy....so the brand new coffee house libraries could go up and the old neighborhood libraries could be closed down?

While some love the new libraries///// closing the neighborhood libraries is a crime. First we close neighborhood schools which destroy a neighborhood....
next we close the libraries....and crush and basically close the neighborhoods up.

Do they think everybody lives on the main highways like Market Street, 224,
etc?

[wscl]

The West Side Citizens' Coalition meeting has been canceled.  The banquet hall had been rented to another group for this evening.

[iwasthere]

jay  find out time of the library board meeting on thursday then any concern citizens can attend to show opposition to this library closing.

[our2cents]

The other sad thing is there are 3 schools (4 if Volney doesn't open in the fall) within 2 blocks of this branch.  A lot of those kids stop at this branch and read, use the computers and sometimes they do check items out.  Some kids use the branch as a place to go to stay out of trouble.

This branch closing would personally affect my family.  I'm disabled and rely on my children being able to walk and pick up the items that I placed on hold online.  And while there, they always take out items for themselves, which teaches them to read and think on their own.  My family's usage of the library system will no longer exist if the west branch is closed.

I will be sending a link of this to the board of trustees...in addition to a personal email.  Their information if anyone wants to send them an email is available at:  http://www.libraryvisit.org/boardoftrustees.htm

[jay]

Irishbob is correct.  The west side library is currently served by the Steel Street bus and the Austintown bus.

There is NO existing bus service to the Austintown library from the west side.  To go to the main library, you would have to take a bus from the west side to downtown Youngstown and then transfer to a bus that travels up Wick Avenue.

[irishbobcat]

A sad day indeed. Nor everyone has a car to drive 3 miles to another branch. Look how many people did not have cars in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit.

I wonder how many people in Youngstown no longer drive or have access to a car?

WRTA will have to really step up to the plate now to make sure the nearest libraries will be on all the West side bus routes.

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party

[our2cents]

It has been coming for a while.  It is a sad day when they close the only library accessible to many handicapped and local residents.  Not everyone has a dam* car to drive to austintown or downtown to obtain library services.  A ton of children use this branch on a regular basis, even without them staffing a librarian but one day a week!

Without this branch, It would prove they have no interest in the inner city youth's futures...but only in the burbs where they can put in their coffee shops and offer service to those that could afford to drive elsewhere.

[jay]

I heard some sad news for the west side residents.  On Thursday, the library board will vote to permanently close the west side library.