Libraries often offer refuge from the heat. In Dallas, they face cuts.
We know libraries are for reading and researching. We’ve also covered the topic of (in the case of Dallas) libraries being museums, maker spaces, gathering spaces, and art galleries. A new article in Next City talks about another task libraries are often asked to perform: Being the place people cool off in the worst of the summer heat.
Some libraries mentioned in the story actually serve as dedicated cooling centers for a neighborhood. Some serve as informal cooling shelters, where people head when it’s hot, but maybe not emergency-level hot.
“Libraries tend to be one of the last free places that people can go and hang out,” said one librarian. “We have a large community of people who’ve got nowhere else to go, so they’re hanging out in the library.”
All of this brings us to what is happening with Dallas libraries. We’ll have a bigger budget overview after this week’s City Council budget workshop on Wednesday, but it’s important to know that the city could decrease the library’s budget by $2.6 million, and cut more than 70 positions. Already on the chopping block? The staff that assists with adult education, such as GED classes and English classes. Libraries will also be closed for two more furlough days—September 4 and 28.
All of this means that as the weather gets hotter—Next City spends some time talking about global warming—and money to pay utility bills is used to pay for food and other rising costs, hours at libraries could be cut and some full-time library jobs could become part-time.
The revised budget is not yet uploaded on the city’s website. But in the meantime, revisit our discussion with sociologist Eric Klinenberg about the importance of libraries as infrastructure.
Arts Your Local Library Is a Group Project
As the city eyes a $2.6 million cut from the Dallas Public Library system in the next budget, sociologist and author Eric Klinenberg says libraries are more important than ever.