DISGUSTEDINSJ,
Very well said.

Jordan,
Don’t shoot the messenger. You may not like the truth, but, many parents DO use libraries as “day care centers.”

Having said that, Omar is an awesome guy. I work with him and know what an incredible job he does in the community.

Like Omar, I too work with at risk youth. I don’t need a library to do it either.

Jordan , PAY Attention !! Im all for education , what im not in favor of is wasting taxpayer monies on Facilities that are over sized and under utilized . Kids that want to study and learn just need a quiet place and a computer. Books are being fazed out in all schools , and books in a library might as well be in a museum . Kids are on iPads, apple Lap tops , PC’s , Smart phones . We need to be smarter in how we assist those that want to learn , thats it plain and simple.
So maybe next time you might want to try reading “the Comments” all the way thru , or simply re-read them to see if you missed anything . Not that I have anything to prove to you , but Ive been heavily involved with at risk kids for the last 20 yrs. How about you??

First of all, your personal attacks are disgusting!

Second of all, libraries as “daycare centers” are not the point of this article.

You complain about this issue, so what are your solutions? Crap on the kids that want to learn?

Instead of complaining, or personal attacking the author, why don’t you help him create solutions to the problems affecting our youth and their education?

I’ve been in the Santa Clara City Library; the Cupertino, Los Altos and Saratoga branches of the county library; and the Blaney, San Tomas Aquino, Rose Garden, Willow Glen, Alum Rock, Cottle and main branches of the San Jose Library, and have never experienced this.

If this is really the case, then I would expect that schools are no different.  If parents are going to treat libraries as day care then the same has to apply to schools.  No one is arguing for getting rid of schools.

Maybe we can find some “outsourced” employees to enforce that new rule? 

There’s tons of actual crimes being committed with little enforcement… additional library regulations shouldn’t even be a discussion until the core services are at acceptable levels.

Libraries are not a priority, they are duplicitous luxury.  We have County libraries, school libraries, vast online resources… talk about fiddling while Rome burns.

That’s no reason to punish the library system, but the founder was an early mayor of San Jose, an immigrant from Alsace-Lorraine who saved his first year’s salary as mayor and donated it all back to the city council with the request that it be used to establish the first free lending library in San Jose, the institutional ancestor of the San Jose Public Library.

It is unfortunate that Hammer sent out this message to a large segment of our city that their historical successes and services were to be disrespected.  And that their support for the library was not wanted.

[I’m a member of a library friends group.]

DISGUSTEDINSJ,
I agree with everything you have said!

Martin,
Yes, I have a solution. Parents should be required to be with their children at all times when they are in libraries, and not allowed to run around unsupervised.

Aware D5,

Libraries are being used as day care centers. Parents are RARELY with their children. Most of these kids are unsupervised, and they ARE NOT reading or studying books.