Thursday, October 13, 2011
One resident says vote no on the library project plan so town officials can scale back the project.
- OPINION
-
Thursday, October 13, 2011
To the Editor: We would like to focus on the major high cost items that contribute to the size and excessive $19.2 million cost of the library proposed by the Shrewsbury Public Library Building Committee under the direction of the library director. I am going to give you examples of the excessive costs in this library project and urge you to Vote NO...The committee has failed to recognize that 40 million iPad e-book readers will be sold in 2011. One in three of the 110 million U.S. households will have an iPad or Kindle by the end of 2011. E-books take zero library shelf space. Reduce the size of this proposed building. Critique of proposed Building: Mark October 18 on your calendar now. We need a smaller, better planned library expansion …
42.29668
-71.71262
Shrewsbury Public Library
609 Main St, Shrewsbury, MA
/articles/library-project-should-be-smaller
805329
/locations/5585398
A group of residents have gotten together to oppose the library project in hopes of scaling back the project and saving the taxpayers money.
With the vote on the Shrewsbury Public Library building project just under a week away, a few residents have coordinated an effort to defeat the special election vote. "We are not against the library," said John Martin, chairman of the Committee for a Smaller Library. "We just want a cheaper one to be built." Martin said the project is too big right now and can be scaled back by adding higher shelves to store books in some areas of the library, which could reduce the overall size of the library. "If they change the book density on most of the shelves, the town could save a lot of money and space," said Brian Austin, a member of the group. "There should be a mix of shelving, shorter stacks in the children's room, but higher ones in other …
42.29668
-71.71262
Shrewsbury Public Library
609 Main St, Shrewsbury, MA
/articles/scale-back-the-library-building-project
805329
/locations/5597837
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
A letter writer urges residents to vote no and reduce the size of the library.
- OPINION
-
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
To the Editor: How has the Library Building Committee missed so many clues as to how the proposed 42,000 square foot library could be built considerably smaller and thereby a less costly project? Apple announced the iPad 18 months ago and they have sold more than 30 million iPads in this short timeframe. E-Books and e-readers like the iPad and the new Kindle Fire are changing the way the young and old are reading and learning. Town officials have not explained the e-books impact on the size of the library. Their focus has been on our $7.9 million state grant share only. The Amazon Kindle Fire (an iPad light) announced in September is just another major product that is targeting the education of the K-16 children. One in three of the 110 …
42.29668
-71.71262
Shrewsbury Public Library
609 Main St, Shrewsbury, MA
/articles/e-books-should-reduce-the-size-of-the-library
805329
/locations/5579339
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A letter writer urges voters to vote no at the Oct. 18 special town election.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
I am shocked at the library ballot question “yes vote” argument that was just sent to all voters. The ballot question states, “If this vote fails, the state grant and private fund raising will not be available.” This is not accurate. It misleads voters into believing that they must vote for the ballot question or lose the grant money. The Committee for a Smaller Library presented the truth at town meeting. State officials who issue and administer library construction grants have stated that you can vote "No" on Oct. 18 without any risk of losing the $7.9 million state grant. A "No" vote would allow for a less expensive library design. Shrewsbury is only on the state's "wait list" for a library construction grant. State officials expect …
42.29668
-71.71262
Shrewsbury Public Library
609 Main St, Shrewsbury, MA
/articles/misleading-library-ballot-question
805329
/locations/5565775
A letter writer urges voters to vote down the proposed library building project in the hope that the plans can be scaled back.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
To the Editor: Town officials want to increase your taxes again! They want to spend $19.2 million [this is the TOTAL project cost, which includes private donations] to expand the library with an over-priced, over-sized public library project. They are planning a snap election on October 18 to pass a debt exclusion question. They are hoping for a low turnout on this special October ballot. Meanwhile, our sewer bills go up yet again this August. (In 5 years we will be paying an additional $300 a year on our sewer bills.) And soon after the Shrewsbury library project, the selectmen will be asking for another tax increase, to replace Beal School? Don’t town officials realize that we are in the midst of a devastating recession? Unemployment isn…
42.29668
-71.71262
Shrewsbury Public Library
609 Main St, Shrewsbury, MA
/articles/library-project-too-big-expensive
805329
/locations/5569990
Jennifer Lucarelli
10:29 pm on Thursday, October 13, 2011
The grant money is definitely hard to turn away, but it will be interesting to see where technology takes us in the future. And it is true, so many people enjoy and use the library. Libraries have become so much more of a community center. It is going to be an interesting election day on Tuesday. I hope everyone gets out and votes - how will you vote? more ›