Before getting into the meat of my “Part Deux” to my previous article on the Nashua library, let’s give a hat tip to a few people, starting with Grokster Beth Scaer, a well-known local library watchdog. She was the one who brought a new Ink Link article on the library to my attention. Next, there’s Ben Youtz, an architect mentioned in that article, who said that libraries have evolved from being “warehouses for books” to “gathering spaces that people inhabit to create, work in groups, and go for events.” The other person that comes to mind is Grokster Ian Underwood, known for his activism on school policy and spending issues, which you can read in greater detail in his books. What do Youtz and Underwood have in common? Keep reading for some discussion on the NEXUS, to use a Judge Temple word, between them.
I know little about Youtz beyond what was said in the Ink Link article, but he’s definitely a practitioner of the astute businessman’s mantra: “know your customer.” The “customers” aren’t lining up to check out books, just as the “customers” in the Underwood books do not view student achievement as the ultimate priority policy goal; most people see schools as community centers rather than places to learn reading, writing, math, and logic. You probably see where I am going with this.
In a free market in the private sector, business Darwinism should prevail. Laissez-faire. Successful leadership constantly evaluates market conditions, examines the numbers, and makes adaptive changes to grow rather than merely stay afloat. Look no further than the goods and services in demand 100 years ago, and compare those businesses that provided them at the time. Who is still open today and who is not? Some of the well-known ones founded in the 19th century called it quits only recently.
Libraries, as we know them today, need to join the schools in being removed from the government tax dollar feeding trough.
Distinguished economists have often noted that if there is genuine consumer demand for something, people will be willing to pay for it with their own money. Underwood covers this topic in his book collection, but let’s discuss the Youtz comment about gathering spaces that people inhabit to create, work in groups, and attend events. Note the interesting use of the word ‘INHABIT,” as he doesn’t mention “daytime homeless shelter,” even though he should have.
Creating, working in groups, and hosting events are all activities that have an abundant supply of venues to meet those demands if you remove the monster in the room known as government involvement/funding. Hotel grand ballrooms, less fancy event halls, function rooms, and conference rooms of all sizes and amenities, with user fees, are available almost everywhere, especially in cities. I’ll say the quiet part out loud, which is that too many people in Nashua, private citizens and public servants alike, want the government to provide things that they would not open their own wallets for.
The purpose of government is to protect our natural rights, not provide a $40M community center. Conversations should be held about this matter, as the next election is just over a month away. Wouldn’t you prefer to see the City do more important things with that much money? A few examples would be tax relief, paying down debt, or taking care of priority infrastructure issues. Ask your candidates for aldermen, incumbent or not, where they stand on this unnecessary library money pit.
