Spokane Area DU'ers. Protest Assistance Needed

Hello Friends,

I am posting this request on behalf of the Valley Friends of the Library Group.

As some of you in Spokane may be aware, the new City of Spokane Valley is refusing to negotiate with the Spokane County Library District for a new contract in 2005. You can read the fact sheet at the SCLD website, http://www.scld.org

The library will have no choice but to close the Valley branch, resulting in an almost 40% budget reduction and layoffs of over a third of its staff. This will ripple through the rest of the districts other nine branches, reducing services and putting a strain on current employees.

There is a picket protest scheduled between 11am and 12pm on Sunday, November 21 at the corner of Sprague and Pines. This protest is organized by the Valley Friends of the Library and is scheduled to be covered by KREM and KXLY.

We ask that if you can attend, please do so. Bring a friend. Make a sign. Something as simple as "Save Our Library" will do.

The council of the city of Spokane Valley does not appear to want to budge. This is after a citizen ad-hoc commitee as well as city staff unamiously selected SCLD to provide library services after the city opened library service to "managed competition". The city does not want to pay the same fees as the rest of the county and the library district is acting in fairness to the other nine areas it serves.

If you have an hour to spare on Sunday, please come out and show your support.

You can get more information by emailing John Snediker, who is heading this protest at mortgagejohn@comcast.net.

If you cannot attend, and live in the Valley, please email or call the Valley City Council and let them know of your displeasure at this turn of events. http://www.spokanevalley.org

Thank you Du'ers.