Imagine, if you will, that you have entered a library. Imagine further that a librarian approaches and, upon meeting you, asks, "Would you like to play Rock Band?" Would you think that this librarian was A) the greatest librarian in the history of librarians or B) wasting taxpayer money? If you chose B, you appear to agree with Omaha, Nebraska's Action 3 News, which recently filed a report about a group of local librarians using state funds to purchase Rock Bandfor its gaming workshops. Worse still, the librarians even had the audacity to film themselves assembling and playing the game -- during work hours -- and then uploaded the results to YouTube.
Indeed, the offense was so egregious that Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley launched an investigation into the matter, the results of which will be looked over by a group appointed by Governor Dave Heineman. To think that a library would purchase video games in order to attract more young people -- something manylibraries are starting to do -- and then promote it via YouTube, where plenty of young people are likely to see it, boggles the mind. It's practically unconscionable.
Check out the incriminating YouTube video after the break (which also includes a little DDR action).
Bad timing; Republicans want to show off how fiscally conservative they are in the wake of the stimulus package.
Given that the field has embraced gaming as a way to attract young people, and that they are playing a fairly wholesome game, I suspect this will blow over. Still, I feel terrible for the librarians; in this economy, it's frightening to think that you could be fired in a high-profile way for political reasons. Tough to get another library gig...
The crazy thing is that it doesn't make sense right now to be financially conservative.
You are supposed to SPEND when the economy is bad, and save when its good.. not the other way around. I'd have lots of sympathy with all the republicans talk about "earmarks" and "pork barrel spending" if they'd been making it 12 months ago. Right now its just not important. Just let everyone have their projects, some of them might do some good, and then prune the ineffective ones once the economy picks up.
Sucks if these guys get caught up in a political stage show, which ends up costing more to "deal with" than the original issue. But not useful costs, merely bureaucratic waste.
I don't doubt that the wages and cost of Rock Band don't nearly outweigh the cost they're going to spend to 'investigate' this. It probably was around $300 or less blown on this.
Seriously, you dedicate a group of people to research it and they're going to eat up money.
This makes sense, right? We have the problem of people spending money... so what do we do? SPEND MORE MONEY!
You nailed it buddy. RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY all the way. Cause that's what the Republicans are all about - "showing off" fiscal conservatism by sticking it to librarians. You're the change I believe in.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT, OOLZ. YOU HAVE PROVEN US ALL VERY STUPID. I REGRET THAT I EVEN PROCESSED THE WORDS THAT THESE CRIMINALLY DEFICIENT INDIVIDUALS TYPED.
IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN BETTER.
wow oolz, ur an idiot and a rockband fanboy who knows not but to put down everybody around him, low self esteem? maybe... but i think you're just a loser who only posts on rockband/guitarhero related subjects, and only venture out of those topics to put people down...
And why should libraries stick to print media? That's a logical fallacy, you make a statement and don't say why things should be that way. Unless you're making an appeal to tradition, which is a textbook example of a logical fallacy.
Do you think because it's a waste of taxpayer money? Which, I could see your point there, ways of making the community a better place by only spending 60 bucks definitely is a HUGE waste of taxpayer money, and should be stopped immediately.
On top of which, what's the difference between a fiction novel and a video game in terms of their wastefulness to the taxpayer? The money is still "blown" on entertainment. Why should we allow one and not the other? If you want to argue that a book costs roughly 15 bucks while a vidyja costs roughly 60, then I can just counter with DVDs, movies cost pretty much the same as books. Yet, movies were held under the umbrella you mentioned earlier of excluding non-print media.
Furthermore, what about documentary movies, or the internet? I agree that the library should be first and foremost a source of research. But, get with the times. If you wanna wave around the banner of being some sort of taxpayer champion, libraries will falter. This technology age a rather large percent of sources used in school papers and such are all from the internet. If the library can't keep up with that, and they're still the cliche stuffy old library, air heavy with dust on books that haven't been touched in decades... they're not going to survive, and then society will indeed be worse off.
All because you were upset with a library spending 200 bucks to try and lure in young people, to hopefully make them better educated by using the library's OTHER resources. You're such a patriot, my good friend, you're such a patriot.
Libraries have the task of storing AND securing free access to cultural products so as to give anybody the ability to seek out cultural products (not sure of proper English term) in order to avoid a culturally stratified society. Of course society is culturally stratified but this way nobody is forced to remain culturally ignorant due to not having enough money to spend on cultural products.
So the only way your statement makes sense is if you do not see games as cultural products.
I don't think that's a good argument. I think the vast majority of gamers would love to have a library near them that loaned out video games. Most of us would see it as a huge way of saving money. If you're a game developer, I can see it being a bad thing, but a game consumer, not so much.
Hydrophobicfish covered it, but libraries aren't about the books and never really have been. They're about information and serving that info to their community. Books are great but had they never existed libraries would be cataloging whatever media had taken their place. Even now their attention is more and more focused on online sources of information and how to use it while books (and journals and magazines) are kind of getting de-emphasized.
As more info comes in more forms, libraries adjust. When microfiche came around, they used that. When VHS showed up, they used that. The web, DVDs, etc. all have information the library uses. Why should videogames be excluded?
When you start paying property taxes, then I'll listen to your opinion. And even then, I'll still take issue. Libraries should not be replacing rental shops. If they want to charge a fee for this 'premium' content, sure, go for it. But if they want to force me at gunpoint to pay for your video games, I have a BIG problem.
It's sad that Libraries have turned from being a cultural center, to yet another gov't service who's main function is to keep union employees, employed.
filed a report about a group of local librarians using state funds to purchase Rock Band for its gaming workshops.
The librarians obviously had a reason to purchase and play the game, they have a GAMING WORKSHOP. How do you have a gaming workshop and not buy games for it, or test them out to make sure they are working...give me a break.
In today's day and age, if you can get a kid to come into a library for any reason, it is a damn success.
I have to disagree as well. My perspective is as a tax payer and a former Library employee.
First off, switching from print media to a digital format is coming. The day you can rent books to a laptop or kindle is here. It's a cheaper, easier way to do things. Not leaving your home to go to a physical building will eventually shut down libraries. So don't worry about paying for that building for to long. DRM books that would require a simple website visit makes a lot of sense. IT people will be the key feature in running a Library.
Why shouldn't you pay to support your community?
I can see why most people get angry when they read they are paying for their community game rentals, movies, etc... The problem is you have to support your community as a whole. You as an individual are not going to spend your money on your community if you didn't have to. Just because you are in a position where you are happy with your income, your social life, and your education doesn't mean others are. There can be a number of reasons why people are not to the level you are up to in life, so I wont touch more upon that.
These are also people your community has elected to do this service. If they feel this is what the community wants or needs then they should be allowed to.
Anyway I'm ranting here. I just don't agree that library's should only support print media. Not trying to be offensive in anyway.
"It's sad that Libraries have turned from being a cultural center, to yet another gov't service who's main function is to keep union employees, employed."
Umm.. games ARE a growing part of our culture. It's like you completely ignored everything these other guys stated.
So the only people that can comment on what (all) taxpayer money can and can not be used for are the people that pay property tax directly on houses they own? So all those other forms of taxes that I pay (and you will judge right to use on whatever projects you agree with) don't give me a voice?
"Why shouldn't you pay to support your community? "
Paying for someone to dick around playing video games, or watching blockbuster movies is not "supporting your community". If that was, we'd just nationalize Blockbuster.
"Umm.. games ARE a growing part of our culture. It's like you completely ignored everything these other guys stated."
So is porn, guns, drugs, Hanna Montana, etc. What's your point?
"So the only people that can comment on what (all) taxpayer money can and can not be used for are the people that pay property tax directly on houses they own? "
Yes, if you're not paying for it, I don't care what you think. What motivation do you have to be fiscally responsible when you spend other people's money? Granted, I may be too narrow in your area, but where I live, Library taxes come out of property taxes.
Taxes are taxes. Just because someone told you that your property taxes go to libraries doesn't mean that that makes you the only one who can say what they should and shouldn't have. Are you sending your property tax checks directly to the library? No, you're sending them to the government, where they get put together with all the other money and then divvied out. Maybe some sales tax money got mixed in accidentally with the funds last year, and your particular property tax dollars are paying for a pothole repair on the other side of the state. Does that mean that you can now only talk about what should or shouldn't happen with that pothole? What a stupid line of reasoning...
Additionally, we get it. You lost your job recently or something. Don't go railing against libraries like they are the biggest waste of money ever. There are plenty of bigger wastes of government spending that are many orders of magnitude more expensive. Here, let me think of one for you...ah, farm subsidies! Now you can complain about something relevant.
What if the game gathered a family together? Does it matter i you learn from the game? What if it's a documentary? What if I am learning about how climates change or how math is done through a DVD or game? Isn't that no different then what a book can do?
A book is to a degree a primitive form of entertainment and holding information. If you eliminate one you have to take into all of them into consideration as being eliminated. How is a book different then a DVD or a game?
What is a library for though? Is it for holding information, a resource for facts? I always saw it as more then that. A way to keep kids off the street, a place for community events, and discussion or exchanging ideas. Through my experience this is why I see it is important to support these media changes.
"Are you sending your property tax checks directly to the library? No, you're sending them to the government, where they get put together with all the other money and then divvied out."
I'm not the idiot that you think everyone else is. But you know what? When my local library increases my spending, that's one of the reasons my property taxes go up.
"that your property taxes go to libraries doesn't mean that that makes you the only one who can say what they should and shouldn't have"
I didn't say I was the king of libraries. I have an opinion. My opinion is that Libraries are wasting my money on things they should be.
"You lost your job recently or something. Don't go railing against libraries like they are the biggest waste of money ever. "
No I didn't, and no I'm not. I'm rallying against Libraries wasting my money on things like video games, pop CD's and hit movies. Things that are all more than handled quite nicely in the retail sector.
"Here, let me think of one for you...ah, farm subsidies!"
And if this was a blog post about farm subsidies, I'd be harping against that money-hole as well. But this is a blog post about people turning libraries into taxpayer funded family fun centers.
... "And if 3 out of those 4 things weren't illegal/frowned upon, they should stock it in libraries too."
On their own, all four have a legal component. But it's usually the library types who frown upon guns.
... "What is a library for though? Is it for holding information, a resource for facts? I always saw it as more then that. A way to keep kids off the street, a place for community events, and discussion or exchanging ideas."
Mainly, it's a place for keeping and sharing print media. If you want to expand it to things like classic movies, 'artistic' movies, or classic works of music, I'm all for it. Heck, my library even loans out paintings, if you don't mind paying to do so. More power to them. You want to have kids movie/book days? Go ahead, knock yourself out. Spend my money on video games, blockbuster movies, or pop cd's, now we need have to have a talk.
It was a little excessive that almost 70% of our rentals each day were DVD's. I do admit with services like Netflix and Gamefly, that the need for libraries rent out games and movie seems silly. The problem I have isn't that they stock up on this stuff. I feel having them there is good for select groups of people in the community who use the library to the fullest (take their kids to programs, come to events, study, etc).
My 2 real problems are the amount of movies. I think we were getting 10+ copies of movies day one and all of them had pre orders so they never hit shelves till 3 months later.
The theft of these items is also through the roof. Yes we start with 10 movies day one and by week 3 4 are missing but we have no idea where they went. We had cases and everything but somewhere along the lines someone messed up.
That being said, if Rock band (the game that caused all this) is perfect for events. If the game is pulled out for an event or program to bring kids, young adults, or adults into the library then I see no problem with it.
I also added a + to your first topic because you bring up good points even though I disagree with half of them.
Mark, wow, that's info that I didn't even realize. Ok, now I'm even more shocked and irritated. Again, this just goes to show when you're spending someone elses money, what can and will happen.
Mail (politely) ldorland@action3news.com and point out that this might be a good way to attract kids to libraries, and that the investigation is bound to cost far more than the $400 the kit cost. Maybe point out that they should be praising the librarians for trying something new.
As if libraries didn't have trouble getting people in them in the first place. This might bring some people in to play the game and say: "Oh shit, look, a book on music! Maybe I'll read a book?" ... you never know!
