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Residents urge council to spare Springfield Public Library from proposed $500,000 cut; Flock camera surveillance also draws opposition
Summary
Multiple residents, including educators and library advocates, urged the City Council to reconsider a proposed $500,000 cut to the library budget; several speakers also raised privacy and oversight concerns about the city’s use of Flock license‑plate reader cameras.
Springfield — Dozens of residents and educators urged the City Council on Monday to reverse or mitigate proposed cuts to the Springfield Public Library and questioned a potential expansion of license‑plate camera surveillance.
Mary Harwood, a longtime library patron and educator, told the council the library provides critical services for K‑12 students, including audiobooks for students with dyslexia and summer programming that prevents learning loss. “A library is an essential part of a thriving community,” Harwood said. “Find ways to avoid cuts to the library.”
Karen Babcock, who oversees school libraries for Springfield Public Schools, described modern library services as a public safety and economic asset and warned…
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