Anger as a Private Company Takes Over Libraries....say what?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/business/27libraries.html?_r=1&hp


The Santa Clarita Library System has decided to hire a private company to run it's affairs in order to reduce overhead. In these tough economic times, the librarians, who have been protected by labor unions thus far, are infuriated by the city's willingness to give control to a private group. The private group will now be running the library for profit, unlike while controlled by the city. Deanna Hanashiro, a retired teacher, said “public libraries invoke images of our freedom to learn, a cornerstone of our democracy" which many Americans would agree with. The fact that a private group is getting involved with a public entity in an economic downturn has the same affects as government taking over a private institution; it gives Americans the impression that by changing the rules, they are suddenly being taken advantage of. Although this is not quite privatization of a library system, the fact is Americans are skeptical of change, and this is probably one instance of many more to come that has a public institution go private for financial sake.