Monday, September 29, 2008

The Matawan-Aberdeen Library's Community Meeting

This Thursday, October 2nd, at 7PM, the Matawan-Aberdeen library is hosting a community meeting to brainstorm on the library’s future. Since the Great Library of Alexandria over 2,000 years ago until the advent of the internet, the library’s mission has remained the same – to be an archive of knowledge. As all new information goes digital, and the internet begins to supplant the library, a new mission for our library is long overdue.

Though I will be unable to attend the meeting, I hope its participants will discuss two aspects – First, a new mission statement. What is the library’s purpose? What do people want it to do? How do we envision the library ten years from now?

The second item is what role, if any, will the library have in Main Street’s hoped for rejuvenation?

My personal opinion is that the library should facilitate intellectual stimulation by providing the needed resources for individuals to pursue, manage, or organize groups of diverse interests. Space, budgets, and other constraints should only be tackled after first deciding what we’d like to achieve.

The library was a special part of my education. Roaming the stacks and interacting with others is something the internet cannot provide. I hope the library finds a new way to put its excellent resources to their best uses.
>>> Read more!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your holiday!

Anonymous said...

The High School should make better use of the facility. It is within walking distance. There are a number of possibilities.

Anonymous said...

Time and technology have to a certain extent made libraries for the most part a thing of the past.

The excitement of a small child being taken there by a parent is no less exciting it is just a coming of age.

What needs to be done is a list of priority needs to be discussed and implemented and the choices and opportunity must change with society. Books for many of us have become a thing of the past. Reading has become a thing of the past. We cannot allow libraries to have a similar fate.

Support our library is still the phrase that needs to be used but it must be functional and current to serve all of the needs of society.

Anonymous said...

Time and technology.

I agree completely. While many of us are somewhat comfortable with the age of computers and the internet, many are back to basics folks, who need what libraries have to offer.

In addition the first trip to a library of a young child holds a special place and importance especially when they get that fist library card with their name on it. It gives them a sense of self and a look into personal responsibility.

We need libraries for many reasons and it should not come down to dollars and cents.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Whole heartedly!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with NsectionJoe.


The importance of libraries for young children and our seniors is crucial and needs to be completely accessible.

Anonymous said...

But, what's in it for Norman Kauff?

Anonymous said...

Kauff would probably mandate that his friends at CME, Fallon and Fallon, Coppola and Coppola and all the rest be involved in any changes or mysteriously arranged analysis Kauff could create just so they could funnel back more money to Kauff.

Yes, everything comes back to Kauff. I recall just before Kauff and Corren left office, no Norm was never elected but that does not stop him from running Aberdeen into the ground, they short changed the library funding. The facts are sketchy but underhanded and with Kauff's handy work attached, you can be sure.

Been a while and I almost forgot.


F U Norman.

Anonymous said...

Once again the hatred and the outright despising of Kauff continues.

Only two things I can say to that.

1 Keep it up

and

2 Don't forget Vinci


Middlesex Jim

Anonymous said...

God Bless the young kids and seniors, but I think there are many activities already geared towards these groups at the library, and I hope they will continue.

What I would also like to see begin are:
1.-activities geared toward teens,
and
2.-the forgotten stay at home moms, who would enjoy joining stimulating discussion/activity groups