Library School

* As a student reading and studying my way through school libraries, public libraries, and university libraries, I was taught to hush when I entered these halls of thought and dream. It is not surprising, then, that by the time I had graduated from UCLA’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science I was thoroughly comfortable with the sound of my own silence.

I have been silent but not comfortable as I have read about the closing of library schools across the nation. When it finally happened to my alma mater, I felt helpless: I lack the wealth, savvy and professional clout to lobby successfully to save what I believe in and devote my life to. That is why I write to shout “Hooray!” to Kevin Starr (Opinion, July 18) for lobbying for librarians. His clear voice speaks eloquently to issues of importance for all Californians. Librarians may not be noisy, or wealthy, or sexy, but we defend, protect, and facilitate free services which are vital to all people who live in a democracy.

JODY STEFANSSON

Pasadena

*

I have nothing against libraries--or librarians. Some of my best friends keep books, and keep me in them. But library science isn’t the guardian of freedom. If you really want to ensure equal access to information, you have to make sure the information isn’t tainted, doctored or concealed. Then you have to teach people to read, both on the lines and between them. Last but not least, take the money that prestige schools spend on classified research and CIA-funded projects, and use it to support college scholarships. Then you won’t have to worry about budget cuts, lost majors or closed library doors.

In the meantime, if librarians want to help their own cause, they need only to ask for their dossiers, under the Freedom of Information Act. Then they can prove that government waste and corruption are responsible for enslaving the electorate. That might not be sexy, but it would be heroic--and it would keep freedom in circulation.

DENNIS ROHATYN

Professor of Philosophy

University of San Diego