Don’t judge a book by its cover — especially in a library

When I read Mr. Roberts’ June 1 Xpress letter, “What Happened to Pack Memorial Library?” my first reaction was speechless disbelief that he would take it upon himself to label a sizable portion of Pack Library patrons “ex-cons, strung-out drug abusers, downtrodden” and “scary-looking thugs.” Ironically, downtrodden is defined by the Princeton University WordNet database […]

What happened to Pack Memorial Library?

When did Pack Memorial Library become a daytime shelter for ex-cons and strung-out drug abusers? Surely, a diverse mix is wonderful and an Asheville tradition, but this is nothing like that. There is no mix of children and everyday families and business people there. All I ever see, daily, are downtrodden, strung-out and scary-looking thugs […]

Turn off the radio, Bob!

One has to shake one’s head trying to come up with a response to Bob Youngerman’s diatribe on pulling funding from public broadcasting — namely, National Public Radio [“Please Tell Me Why I Should Support NPR,” April 6 Xpress]. It’s obvious that Mr. Youngerman, the “unaffiliated voter with a conservative bent,” is ignorant of the […]

“Mountain Shame,” indeed

After reading “Mountain Shame,” Jake Frankel's account of the labor unrest and possible union organization of The Marion Manufacturing Company on October 2, 1929, my interest was piqued about that fateful day [March 30 Xpress]. In my research into this event, I learned that there were elements of this tragedy that Mr. Frankel did not […]

Libraries have to change with the times

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the “new” Pack Memorial Library building on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Those few of us remaining who worked in the Pack Square structure that now houses the Asheville Art Museum are still prone to refer to the current library facility as the “new” building, despite the fact […]

Booked

Recently I was at Pack Library downtown and asked why they had moved the ongoing sale of used books upstairs. I was told that the library is scheduled to undergo major reworking of the street floor, which will result in a permanent reduction of space for books. In anticipation, the library is in the process […]