However you pronounce it…did you know that the fanstastic new library is opening soon? And to commemorate the opening the Alameda Free Library Foundation is hosting a Gala on Saturday, October 28 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Come and be one of the first Alamedans to view the interior of the Library!
Tickets are only $75 and proceeds benefit the library. You can either buy tickets on-line or if you prefer the the tactile experience of actually holding the tickets in your hot little hands, they can be purchased at Daisy’s on Park Street. It will be the social event of the year, dahling…
Well, maybe not, but it will be a great chance to see the library and ooohh and ahhh over the newness of it all.
I am also very much looking forward to the opening of the new library, just two blocks from my home. Not everyone shares our enthusiasm, though:
Those are the words of The Slate’s council candidate Pat Bail, from her appearance on the Don Roberts Show, May 3, 2006. It’s not clear why she felt the need to justify her stance, given that she had already declared on April 11, 2006, that “no one likes” the new library. (I guess she forgot to ask one or two people . . . or did she mean “no one who counts”?)
Although I cannot find the tape to obtain an exact quotation, I know that on another episode Ms. Bail asked why, in an age of computers, we need any libraries at all. Thanks to Amazon.com, she claimed, people could just buy books on-line instead of going to the library. She grudgingly acknowledged that perhaps a small library might be necessary to stock large-print books for seniors, but other than that, people could just fend for themselves in the quest for information.
I invite other readers to search through their collections of old Don Roberts episodes to check my memory on this!
Comment by Michael Krueger — September 24, 2006 @ 3:05 pm
Well, the library’s done, right? We won’t have to worry about Pat Bail tearing it down. What is the approximate date of the episode you are talking about?
The new location is not the best one. The entrance looks crammed and shady, not at all like the drawing posted by Lauren. I also think parking situation will be terrible, unless the Elks lodge idea gets revisited. Do you know what is the final decision on the proposed reduction of lanes on Lincoln? I still hold some hope that there is enough sense left to see what a bad proposal that is, as such a reduction will bottleneck Lincoln right before Park Street and the bridge. I wish I could offer another suggestion, rather than criticize, but with several bad decisions in a row—not pursuing the Elks Lodge idea, and putting the cineplex and garage at a location better suited for a new library, it hard to know how to solve the problems being created by them.
Comment by NIMBY — September 24, 2006 @ 6:13 pm
NIMBY,
Perhaps I’m missing something … I drove by the library last week and the entrance looks similar to the rendering shown here!
Comment by alameda — September 24, 2006 @ 6:16 pm
The Library isn’t what I would call the most attractive building in my view but it is needed in Alameda and I am glad they built it. I think the location is good, as it it centrally located for everyone in Alameda.
On the other hand I like the look of the new Theatre and hopefully the parking garage will help with not only the parking at the Theatre but the Library and Park street businesses.
Pat Bail can put her money where her mouth is…oh I guess she has and we have seen were that got her…ops…
Comment by Joe — September 24, 2006 @ 8:42 pm
I’m afraid NIMBY is entirely missing the point here. Obviously, Ms. Bail is not going to tear down the library. However, anyone contemplating a vote for The Slate should ask whether the new library would ever have been built if the Bail-deHaan-Thomson voting bloc had been in power.
Ms. Bail’s opposition to the new library — and to the idea of libraries in general — is just one illustration of the extent to which she is out of touch with the larger community. Based on her own opinion and those of her best buddies like Don Roberts, she declares that “no one likes” the new library. Is this not the very sort of arrogance and disregard for others’ views of which the current mayor and “council majority” stand accused by The Slate and its supporters?
Before voting this November, citizens should recall Ms. Bail’s stance on the library and ask themselves what other popular and beneficial projects or programs will be killed or never even contemplated if The Slate is elected.
P.S. — Unfortunately, I do not remember the approximate date of the Don Roberts Show on which Ms. Bail made her comments about libraries in general. Bashing the new library is a favorite topic on Mr. Roberts’ show, so it’s a little hard to narrow down. I believe it was sometime this year, though, if that helps.
Comment by Michael Krueger — September 26, 2006 @ 11:46 am
Just FYI, there’s a time-lapse movie that I put together of the construction of the library on my blog.
http://progala.blogspot.com/2006/10/alameda-free-library-in-5-minutes.html
Comment by Dan W. — October 20, 2006 @ 11:09 pm
Thanks Dan! This is great stuff. Another example of what we might have missed out if Pat Bail had her way. Sheesh! NIMBY, you listening?
Dan, there’s a typo in your blog (”living in a city not with a brand-new public library”)
Comment by Chris — October 21, 2006 @ 10:54 am