Well at least now they can’t say they didn’t know.
ALA President Leslie Berger spent Tuesday morning testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She was there to let them have it regarding the shady nature of the recent EPA library closings.
She went there to talk about two things:
-“the vital importance of access to scientific, environmental, legal, and other government information for EPA employees and the American public”
– and how the recent closures of several regional libraries is “restricting access to important information about the environment in over 31 states”
She was clear and thorough in stating the concerns of so many Americans.
This is ‘Earth in the Balance’ stuff and this is on our soil.
I can’t believe I am saying this but at minimum let Google give them the money needed to get the system functioning again and let them digitize the content. This is probably one of the only instances where I would be ok having a private company digitize public material. I trust Google here more than I do the administration. Yikes!
The other amazing thing about this travesty is that the budget where this proposed $2 million funding cut was to come from just went to the Congress from the President. How can they already be closing libraries.? Material is already disappearing. I didn’t know our Government worked that fast or if they are working that fast something is seriously wrong.
This is what I said in my mid-December post on this issue Save the Libraries-Save the Earth_NOW:
“Seems like the administration is going to do all it can to protect itself before the new democratically controlled congress convenes in January. This behavior makes Watergate look petty and is at minimum an impeachable offense.”
Now let’s see what Barbara Boxer and Company can do.
Link to text of Berger testimony
Link to beSpacific in-depth coverage