Library cuts off books for homeless kids
Homeless children will not be allowed to check out books from an Indiana library system.
The Porter County Public Library (the county seat is Valparaiso) established the new policy after losing more than $4,000 worth of books and audio-visual materials over four to five years because temporary shelter residents failed to return them.Ken Falk of the American Civil Liberties Union said temporary residents have the same rights as others who live in the county. "If one is a resident, then one must be treated equally by a library," Falk said.
Was this really necessary? The loss the library is complaining about is $1,000 or less a year -- not much. I'd like to know how much the library lost in materials to other, non-homeless patrons. Or are they just trying to look like they're cracking down on losing material and taking advantage of an easy target?
Read the Chicago Sun-Times story here.
posted by Jacqueline Dowd @ 3:35 PM
1 Comments:
1000 dollars a year isn't a big deal at all. Think about it, if checking out books helps any of those kids in any way at all...it's worth it. They are already at a massive disadvantage, does the library really want to add to it?
I swear, for a Christian country, we sure do have a snobbish attitude towards the less fortunate.
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