Fund libraries with public, not private funds

Maybe in a crisis the Boston Public Library system needs an emergency bailout from the private sector. But that should not be the long-term solution to funding the libraries. A public library system cannot be subject to the whims of private donations and the generosity of a Liberty Mutual or Fidelity that may be here one year and gone the next. This is especially for libraries which have large fixed costs (buildings, staffing, etc.) that cannot be easily expanded and contracted on a yearly basis.

Boston needs to figure out how to create a sufficient and dependable revenue stream to fund our libraries and keep them open and accessible to all residents of Boston.

In crisis, Boston libraries need better board, more private funds - The Boston Globe