Usefulness of the community Partner

The Community Partner aspect of this course was very useful, and was one of the most fun experiences of my college career so far. This aspect of the class also helped me to better understand the terms and topics discussed in class as it provided a real world perspective on them. The fact that I could relate what we learned to how it is  applied in the real world of local government and local politics gave me a better foundation for the class in general and overall understanding.Working with my CP also helped me to better understand an issue that has always piqued my interest,but I had no idea how to get involved. This working relationship I have established with the Public Library of Brisbane will hopefully continue throughout the coming Summer.

The Brisbane Library and the Governor

The city of Brisbane does not have a governor instead it has a mayor and a city council, who combined make decisions for the future of the town in accordance with the needs and wants of the community.  The power of the mayor is completely at the will of the individual. The current mayor has a weak position because he is not very vocal and lets the city council decide most of the issues, and does not usually stray away from what they suggest. However the mayor before the current mayor was very vocal at meetings and was often seen talking to the residents of  Brisbane on a daily basis. She was a vital part of all community functions not simply as the person who delivers the speech. According to the library's administrators the current mayor is not very forthcoming with solutions for the future of the library and does not seem very invested in the fate of the library it's self. While Brisbane does not have a governor it's city council has  the capacity to create change within the community and on occasion so to does the mayor.

The Constitution

The Brisbane Library is not constitutionally mandated, in fact it is not mandated by the constitution for a town to even have a public library, although they will be found in every town. The Public library is only mandated under the local constitution, which makes it easier for Public libraries to be taken away as they are only there as long as they can afford to be. This makes the tightness of funds even more problematic. With no legal safety net the digitalization of libraries seems the only way to keep a form of open learning for communities that are facing budget cuts. as Public Libraries are only answerable to the local constitution and the local council, the library would have to start gathering citizen support if it wished to gain any help from the local government.

The Public Library and Taxes

My CP does not have the authority to raise revenue through taxes, as it is not in their capacity to do so, however the little bit amount of money the library does receive from the local government is raised by a tax on the citizens of brisbane. If the Public Library wished to establish either a new tax specifically for them or two get a little more funding from the money gained from taxes, the library would have to send a representative to either town hall or a community meeting to plead their case. This red tape the library has to go through to receive  any sort of fiscal support from the local leaders, has made upkeep of the library very difficult and is why the institution relies so much on personal donations.

My CP and Budgeting

Before working with the Public Library I assumed that the Public Library would be given it's own section in the overall yearly budget of the city. however upon asking the employees the library is kept up primarily through donations and a few government programs. In order to research my paper I looked  into the budget of Brisbane for 2012-2013 to find the exact number of funds spent on the Public Library. When looking I discovered that there is no specific government funds outlaid for the library, it is put into another fund allocated for teenage programs and children programs. These findings further illustrate that Public libraries are losing their prominence in the community, the lack of appropriate funding by the local governments is appropriated by a large donation of donations and a large network of other Public Libraries that rely on one another for support, for example instead of having too buy new books for the library's collection they can simply borrow from one another cutting back costs. From other conversations with employees and volunteers of the library it has come to my attention that direct funding for the local government comes only when there are specific building repairs to be made. However this lack of substantial funding increases the difficulty for libraries trying to stay relevant and their abilities to provide for their constituents are severely impaired.

The Public Library and the Judicial Branch

The Brisbane Public Library does not deal with the judiciary aspect of our government, it is no where near the Public Library's jurisdiction to arrest an individual or engage with the prison system. However since reading this chapter and listening to the Dolores Huerta talk it has come to my attention all of the issues facing our prison and judiciary system. How judges are elected in some instances, such as elected by a governor, could lead to less accountability by the people, Where the merit system allows judges to be held accountable to the people and in theory to not feel the need to support the legislation of the governor simply because he got him the position, even if it does not follow the will of the people. In regards to the prison system the Dolores Huerta speech spoke on the high number of delinquents serving very severe and long prison sentences for very petty crimes such as theft. Dolores Huerta went more into the racial stereotyping of the prison system, however I think prisons have become a money making/ profit making machine. Instead I think child law breakers who have not committed a very egregious crime should be put in an educational program or rehabilitation program rather then prison to stop the cycle of those kids going back to prison shortly after being released.

Interfacing Entities of the Brisbane Public Library

The Brisbane Public Library interfaces with other local entities, they work with political organizations to gain funding, they let the organizations meet and put up their posters and flyers and most of those organizations give substantial donations to the Public Library. The Brisbane Public Library will also work with other Public Libraries, in exchanging books and DVD's. This sense of community between San Mateo County libraries is not unique to the Brisbane Public Library, this system has been in place since Public Libraries started to use computers and a automated system that organizes the contents of their library and their check out system. However this interfacing with other San Mateo county libraries is specifically beneficial to the Brisbane Library because of it's small size, without the relationship it has with other Public Libraries it would not be able to meet the needs of it's constituents because it would not be able to hold all the books, computers or DVD's that they want in the space the library occupies.

The Brisbane Library and City Council

The Library has not recently been caught up in any state and local relationships, but before I started work there, the library was asked to move locations because the city council wanted to extend the back area into a walking garden, this would limit the space of the library as well as it's capacity to have a sufficient amount of books to be checked out, since this is already a problem effecting the library the workers were not happy about this proposal. I'm not sure how they managed to stay where they are, but regardless it illustrates the conflicting relationship between my community partner and the city council.

Brisbane Library and Legislation

The Public Library of Brisbane has not directly sought to change any legislative changes, however it does allow organizations and people who are attempting to change legislation  to leave their flyers and put their posters on the windows. The library does this to remain a neutral space within the community, because their main source of community outreach and revenue is by acting as a meeting place for all political organizations. The library does seem to more heavily enforce legislation that has to do with education and children. This is because the main groups of people who frequently use the library are kids of various ages as well as members of the school board as a meeting place and a club called the Mothers of Brisbane that is focused on education and the community's children.

Founders Day Events

The event I chose to attend was the lunch to celebrate the birthday of Julie Billiart, one of the earliest founders of the order of Notre Dame. The event included speakers, food and a huge birthday card everyone could sign. From this event I learned that Julie was a very kind woman, who valued education greatly and is renowned for her work in teaching young girls in an era when it was not common to educate girls. Later I also attend the founders event, Milk and Cookies with the sisters, at this event the students were abel to talk to current sisters more informally. From such conversations I learned why they chose to become a nun of this order, for some it was the chance to help others that are less fortunate, for others doing good works helps them to lead a fulfilled and happy life. Having such a history at the University will inspire students of a political science background to search for career opportunities that will foster help for others that are less fortunate and be a force of good in the world. Such students will want to be of service to those who need help and will want to make a difference in the world that betters others.

The Brisbane Library and Special Interest Groups

The Brisbane Public library does not participate in any specific interest group, however the Library does allow local organizations to rent library space and put up posters, but the type of organization is varied although it seems to be more about mothers, children, and the local school. The Library does not attend local city council meetings unless the Library it's self will be a topic of discussion and even then they only send one person to speak on their behalf if at all. The library's lack of direct interaction with interest groups I believe comes from the need to not alienate any possible people who will use the library. The community is small to begin with and any sort of downturn of community use could become a serious problem. The library also attempts to bring as many community members through it's doors by creating a free space for political or other special interests groups can put posters and flyers as long as they are not too extreme or vulgar. The fact that the Library is not vocal at local town meetings was astonishing to me as it could help to produce solutions to better the involvement of the library in the community and gauge the opinions on the people they service. For example if they went to the meeting and discovered that most of those involved are left leaning they might want to stock up on books that reflect that trend.

Public Libraries and the Community

The Brisbane Library's dependency on the community is to my recent understanding not any different from other communities, but is simply more apparent because the community is so small. Most times there is only one public library per community which makes the relationship between the two a simple give and take. Without the resources of the library the people would have no need for it and without the people the library would have no reason to be there. The Brisbane Library is very good at meeting the needs of it's community almost good to a fault. The library is small and to make room for books that the community wants to read ( mostly paperback mysteries) the library is taking other more classic and of literary notoriety out. The library also provides story time,tutors and community events like a magician and animals from the zoo. The library also has meetings or deals with other local organizations, such as the Mothers of Brisbane and lets them use the library for meetings. Citizen participation allows the library to not only function but function in ways that allow it to remain an integral part of the community even though at times it is not about the books that line the shelves. Public libraries and in regards to the Brisbane public library have successfully created a system where the people need the library and the library needs the people of the community and they can work closely together to better each other.

Martin Luther King Jr

"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men." ( Lyndon B Johnson). Martin Luther King Jr is the public face of the Civil Rights Movement and through his legendary acts of nonviolent protests,such as marches and acts of civil disobedience. Through such methods he was able to ensure the right to vote for African Americans. Until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 state and local governments made it almost impossible for African Americans to vote even with the 15th amendment in place to keep such things from happening. Martin Luther King did not simply help to gain the right to vote for a disenfranchised people, but by extension he was able to make state and local governments accountable for local practices that infringed on constitutional rights. The trials that African Americans had to go through in order to vote such as police brutality, poll taxes and literacy tests are not the issues that face current African Americans or any other voter for that matter, but it is also untrue to say that there are no longer racial issues that could discourage someone from wanting to vote but the likelihood that it is on the same scale as the 1960s is very slim.

The Possible End of Libraries

Public Libraries are one of the most underfunded public institutions and face the most external threats to their staying around. While Libraries are enjoyed by the public they are in many cases no longer as useful as they once were, now in competition with encyclopedia sites online such as Wikipedia and Ebooks for cheaper prices. Working with a Public Library, (particularly a struggling one in a small community) will provide me a clearer picture to how Public Libraries are adapting to the more technology needs of the people and how they operate and receive funding.