No, you can’t have my purple leather jacket.
It cost $20 at Value Village. When I tell you that, you offer me $30.
Sorry. No to you and all the others who have tried. I like it. I triumphantly grabbed it before the dreaded “pickers.”
They are the folks who select the best stuff and offer it at vintage shops at a greater markup.
It’s part of the Value Village cycle of stuff life.
Value Village is a chain that collects clothing from not-for-profits, weighs them, and cuts a cheque.
I have another worthy candidate: The Calgary Public Library. It needs another income source.
The CPL is in a pickle, so to speak. The central downtown branch is falling apart. It’s either repair for $53 million or rebuild for $200 million.
The city finances about 80 per cent of the library budget. Extra money it received from the province’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative went to suburban branches, especially those attached to recreational facilities.
A new central library is up there in popularity with the airport tunnel. Everyone thinks it’s a good idea. No one wants to commit the cash.
Readers of this column know I am a dedicated fan of the Calgary Public Library. Like you, I tend to use my local branch.
So why finance a downtown library?
The central branch houses Calgary’s history collection, archives, central offices and a theatre with many free speakers and other events.
In the words of library board chair, Jamie Niessen, the central library is the “heart and hub of the library system.”
City living is about priorities. I think our library has fantastic collections and service. The fact Calgary went through one of the biggest economic booms the world has ever seen and didn’t get a commitment for a new downtown library is truly lousy
City council is now being asked to make a decision: Renovate or build anew.
We have the money for roads, bridges: How about more for our leading cultural institutions, which opens its doors to all Calgarians, enriches our minds and imaginations?
Do we need a Value Village collective effort to raise money for our public library? If it comes to this, I’ll donate my purple leather jacket.
But I’d rather city council recognize our CPL Cinderella, and make the library high priority.
– Janice Paskey teaches at Mount Royal University and can be reached at janice.paskey@gmail.com
