Cherrydale Branch Library

Serving North Arlington since 1922

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History

'Save-the-Library' Pin
Pin designed and produced by Michael Gessel
and worn by library defenders, Feb.-Apr. 1998

Letter from Marvin Cohen to Members of the Arlington County Board, April 5, 1998, addressing issues raised in the report on libraries by the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission. This letter also appeared in the Northern Virginia Sun Weekly, April 16, 1998.

Dear Member of the Arlington County Board:

I would like to add my voice to those who are both dismayed and angry at the proposal to close Cherrydale, and other, branch libraries. In particular, a recent report by the Arlington County Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission is so brazenly flawed that it should strike fear into the hearts of every Arlington taxpayer. The FAAC report offers a strange mix of flawed fiscal analysis, pseudo-intellectual faddism, condescending paternalism, and political correctness run amuck. Conveniently, we can find all of these together in one sentence from the FAAC report:

"...the issue here is more than single year costs; it is a process of beginning to shift resources and emphasis from branches, which are cosy but costly, into 21st century education programs."

Why are branches regarded as "costly," while Central Library is worthy of additional funds? The Commission compares branches to Central Library only in terms of total visits and checkouts. They recommend closing the three branches with the least number of visitors. On that "logic," these branches, with thousands of visits and checkouts each year, should all be closed, EVEN IF THEY INCURRED NO COST WHATSOEVER! The Commission's analysis is fatally flawed because it doesn't factor in the relative costs of serving these patrons through Central versus branch libraries. The correct comparison is in terms of bang for the buck, and here the argument is definitively in the other direction: Cherrydale Library serves 61% more visitors per dollar, and generates 79% more books checked out per dollar, than the Arlington County library system as a whole. Central Library is BOTH less cozy AND less cost-effective. It will not improve in either respect if branch libraries are closed.

Faddism is the most intriguing new element introduced by FAAC to the current controversy. The Commission instructs us not to value libraries as sources of books and opportunities for reading! Libraries, we are told, are taking on "wholly new functions as a result of the surge in electronic information." They will supply the "hardware for access to electronic information" and instruction to help people "process" that information. Here the Commission is taking a shallow idea to an absurd extreme - the essence of an intellectual fad. What's missing is (1) an explanation of how "processing information" differs from "thinking," and (2) an explanation of why these new functions imply closing branch libraries. (Can't the internet be accessed from a branch library?) Muddy thinking is surely combined here with a hidden bias: Branch libraries are not flashy or new enough to fit the Commission's "vision" of 21st century education.

Another source of bias in the FAAC report is a paternalistic view of libraries as part of what it calls "the education industry." The role of libraries is narrowly and condescendingly defined, as providing "training and assistance... in the use of information resources." The Commission is not interested in traditional library services (e.g., access to books), for children or adults upon whom it cannot bestow such guidance.

Finally, Cherrydale Library would be a victim of misconceived political correctness. While rejecting branch libraries, FAAC is more generous in urging library support for existing bilingual outreach centers. Cherrydale Library apparently benefits the "wrong" people. Its visitors are typically not in the low income group, not members of minorities, nor in need of bilingual programs. Many of them probably even have computers at home. And Cherrydale like other branch libraries, is a great boon for the elderly. The Consolidated Plan for Arlington County states: "Strong neighborhoods build a vital community... Citizen participation is critical to the identification of neighborhood needs and solutions." Apparently some of our elected representatives feel that parts of North Arlington are an exception to this rule, and can be safely ignored. I urge them to consider: Why should a community that contributes more than its share of taxes and receives less than its share of County programs, be stripped of its library?

The muddy thinking in the FAAC report extends to other points as well. For example, it purports to analyze the time and distance costs of closing branches but ignores the large geographic area served by Cherrydale. FAAC is eager to stretch its definition of legitimate library functions to include bilingual outreach centers as providers of "after school care in a safe environment," at the same time contemptuously dismissing the role of branch libraries as "community centers" for adults.

I am, a father, an adult, an Arlington small businessman, and a researcher with a Ph.D. in psychology. Cherrydale Library has supported me in different ways in all of these roles. If we close our branch libraries now, it won't be long before 21st century Arlingtonians will asking themselves, "What were we thinking?" Then it will be too late.

Sincerely,

Marvin S. Cohen



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This site is maintained by Citizens for Cherrydale Library, a group of citizen volunteers seeking since 1998 to promote and preserve our most important neighborhood institution. Contact us at suza1@comcast.net with any questions or comments.