Supporting Ferguson's Public Library Is Probably the Smartest Thing You Can Do

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/11/25/supporting-fergusons-public-library-probably-smartest-thing-you-can-do


The public institution is staying open amid the troubles but lacks funds for the long haul.



(Photo: John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

November 25, 2014 By Liz Dwyer

Staff Writer Liz Dwyer has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national publications. She was previously education editor at GOOD.

Americans across the nation watched businesses in Ferguson, Missouri, go up in flames on Monday night, Twitter users pointed out a tangible way anyone around the world can help the community: by supporting the Ferguson Municipal Public Library.

A link to the library’s website, which has a PayPal donation button in the upper right corner, has been tweeted and retweeted hundreds of times. By 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, more than 1,200 people had donated to the institution. Library director Scott Bonner called the support “staggering.”

When Ferguson was rocked by violent protests after Michael Brown's killing in August, public schools were forced to close. So the Ferguson Municipal Public Library spent a week being a school.

“Over the course of that week we went from 20 kids to like 200 kids in the library,” said Bonner. Now, schools in the 21,200-person town are once again closed to ensure the safety of children. That means for a second time the library is stepping up to provide a safe educational space for the community.

FULL story at link.