I usually like John Hilkevitch, but I was a bit disappointed in his comment tonight. He was chastising Karen Lewis about commenting on a "physical" quality of Arnie Duncan and then at the end he comments how Karen was walking around in her "bath robe". Come on.....you just did the same thing John! Can't we all just quit the schoolyard name calling and make educated arguments?

Despite the compromises made in the 2012 budget, almost 200 layoff notices went out to Chicago Public Library staff on Friday.

What happens on a typical day at the library??

They assist students with their homework ... show seniors how to access important online resources like the social security website ... provide library orientations and tours during classroom school visits ... check out books, check in returns, collect fines and fees, and process library cards ... prepare new books for the shelves and shelve the returned books ... package and prepare thousands of requested books and other items for transit through the system ... offer story times to neighborhood toddlers, moms and caregivers ... help people who are looking for jobs ... educate themselves on the latest bestsellers and on new technologies ... recommend good books to read ... bridge the digital divide for those who don’t have access to computers or the Internet ... lead book discussions and host author talks ... deal with social services issues such as truancy, mental illness and homelessness ... provide afterschool activities ... make meeting rooms available to community groups and government agencies ... develop public information programs on everything from health to travel to finances ... support school curricula ... and, offer a welcoming and comfortable place for Chicago community residents.

How they will manage to do all that with so many fewer staff people is anybody's guess. Some compromise...