Today we look at how this year’s tax demands from libraries compare with those of last year.
One must remember that the Algonquin, Barrington, Fox Lake, Huntley, Fox River Grove, Wauconda Library Districts cover more than McHenry County and the figures below only show McHenry County collections.
The big news this past year among local libraries was the passage of the bond issue in Huntley. Making the first payments explains the 34% tax levy increase.
Fox Lake and Wauconda have little territory in McHenry County, both being tax districts that lap over county lines. The distribution of tax burden between counties can result in tax hike spikes.
While Woodstock and Harvard have city libraries, their levies, unlike Crystal Lake’s, are part of their municipal tax levies.
Likely explains the near 300 homes for sale in
Huntley.
The big news this past year among local libraries was the passage of the bond issue in Huntley.
Making the first payments very probably explains the 34% tax levy increase.
Can anyone explain why there are ANY libraries still open?
The McHenry library hired a transvestite (6’2″ man masquerading as a woman complete with orange hair and high heels) , and the put the degenerate in charge of kids!
Also no conservative magazines but dozens of trash mags and a whole ‘manga-anime section’ at McHenry.
And these pukes got paid and still get paid for sucking at home.
Libraries are a lynch pin of civilization.
A store of knowledge.
The democratic ability to access any knowledge or information that exists.
The means to connect to the larger world.
Libraries provide an important social portal to it’s community for civic and municipal engagement.
The internet is great for lots of things, but if you wish to dive any deeper than headlines or sound bites, you need actual publications.
If anything, they complement each other – you encounter something new and interesting online, and it points you in the direction of what it is you do want to further read, study and enjoy.
I like analog browsing, whether the shelves in the library, or page by page in a printed paper.
News feeds and various website’s “suggestions” tend to learn what it is you click on most, serving you only THAT, and little more.
Browsing helps you find ideas and authors you hadn’t yet known you would have found interesting.
I think it’s extremely important for children.
A book can let you meet anyone and travel anywhere.
It pleases me greatly when I see kids of all ages in the library.
Mellow? Get real! You are speaking about a previous era. All libraries have been denuded of anything that could be used as reference material. If you don’t own your own personal library – you will find nothing of value in any of the publications in a brick and mortar “library”.
Really? You really believe your own ridiculous words Cindy?
Bible Boy –
I don’t get that vibe.
While certainly an exceptional presence, I think she’s “numbers matching”.
I’ve found her to be pleasant and helpful.
The thought may have entered my mind, but it took up only 5 minutes or so of my interest. 🤷♂️
As for criticism of libraries in general, I AM irked that they’re still closed.
And there are many “government pukes” in all bureaucratic lines that have gotten paid, when many of those whose taxes are paying for their employment have reduced or non-existent paychecks.
Conservative news and periodicals can be an issue.
The market for true and actual news and vigorous political thought and debate gets smaller and smaller. Everything’s really gotten dumbed-down.
The internet and TV news has resulted in sound-byte ‘Murrica.
I have to subscribe to those papers and magazines directly.
I can understand there are unique problems in opening libraries, but most of these unique problems have already been role-played and solved by the private sector.
Because they had to be – so people could work and get paid.
Public sector employees?
Not so much.
They really need to start opening again soon.
The way things are now make them incredibly unworthy of the expense.
At this point, nearly everything of historical value is in the public domain anyway.
The libraries have been moving to digital distribution; Even more than ever since ‘rona.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean that there is any increasing level of quality modern copyrighted material to check out on your tablet / computer.
The deals that these libraries are making with these publishers seem to be massive burdens to the taxpayers with very little to show for it.
A lot of it has to do with an increase in visual media like checking out films than an increase in material that would encourage children to read.
Too much money spent on a dying Tax pig.
Year after year of money down the rat hole of non essential tax payer burdens.
Make part of McHenry College the McHenry County Library and get some use out of that building year round.
There is a library at MCC which those not in a library district or city with one can use.
Cindy –
Man does not live by reference material alone. I’m more a fiction person myself. But there’s lots of non-fiction churning out all the time, too. There’s always more to learn about new things, others’s ideas.
Some Guy, public domain does nothing for current titles though. Like you, I had philosophical struggles when the movies started coming in. Yet all the same, most libraries always did have some music in their collections going way back.
And while for me, a book is a movie playing in my head, some don’t have that inner projection screen. All of us have certainly experienced movies that can be regarded as masterpieces, and whose stories are both entertaining, enlightening and worth experiencing.
I came to see the library as a repository not only of information, but as a repository of human culture, such as that may be. For every “Weekend at Bernie’s”, there’s also a “Giant”.
Mellow Monk,
Perhaps this is true, but for every library that’s providing VoD, we could just as easily obtain it for free from other services that are either ad supported or paid.
The majority of households today at least have access to something like Amazon Prime video or Netflix, and other services have free content.
Libraries traditionally were a place to do research or find material that otherwise was not as accessible. I’m not so sure that they are providing this service anymore in a digital era where other tools are available.
Absolutely, Paul. If you don’t know how they have raped the real education from the libraries and replaced real books with Langley scripted garbage like New York Times Best Sellers adn all manner of tripe about gender dysphoria, then I cannot help you.
I see your point Cindy.
I have spent quality time at the Bodleian Library and others of similar magnitude.
Have you?
Cindy is totally right, Melliw is living in ‘Leave it to Beaver’ era.
Things are so freaky and LGBTQ at libraries now, I won’t let my kids near them!
I find all sorts of good books at the library and also use the scanners and printers to contribute to this blog so that you knuckleheads know what is going on.
Of all the things we pay taxes for, the library is the thing I am probably least concerned about.
That’s not to say all their spending should be treated like a sacred cow, and Steve Willson has done some good work questioning certain library expenditures and proposed expansions, but I think overall libraries are good.
If Republicans had the zeal to critique spending on unending wars and foreign aid as much as they have contempt for public libraries, Republicans would probably not lose so many elections to Democrats with room temperature IQs.
Bible Boy –
Nope! I’m the very embodiment of “That 70’s Show – Where Are They Now?“
Stay mellow! ✌️😎
In asking my question earlier, only Cindy gave the correct answer.
Cindy wins again.
Mellow Monk, you mean you’re like this loser who played a loser on the 70s Show, a total PoS?:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/17/that-70s-show-star-charged-with-raping-three-women/
Television actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role in “That ’70s Show,” has been charged with forcibly raping three women, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced on Wednesday.
I always buy classic books the library (CL, McHenry, Woodstock) discard at their annual/semiannual book sales.
They replace good and or conservative books with pure filth.
And the libraries do tend to actively seek homosexuals and other weirdos to employ.
So, Terminator?
Are you like that cuckhold liberal pussy Arnold Schwartzenneger?
Stay Mellow,✌️😎
Its amazing that Cindy agrees with Cindy no matter what name she uses… Crazy!
The usual calls to eliminate libraries, coming from people who haven’t read a book in 20 years.
Another proof that literacy is wasted on those with no inner lives…