Takoma Park, MD Library Technology Purchase Sparks City’s Nuclear Free Policy
Note: Takoma Park, MD borders the District of Columbia and Silver Spring, MD.
From WJLA-TV:
The purchase of upgraded computers for Takoma Park Library has sparked a debate about the community’s nuclear-free policy.
About 130 communities nationwide have such an ordinance. But, Takoma Park is considered one of the most restrictive.
Ellen Arnold-Robbins, the Takoma Park Library director, said “It was HP (Hewlett-Packard) computers, and we didn’t know it until they arrived.”
Hewlett-Packard might be a popular line of computers for some consumers, but it’s a red flag for the Takoma Park community.
The library says the delivery came through its longtime vendor, Userful.
Nuclear-Free Takoma Park Committee Chair Jay Levy explained, “From a pencil to a police car, nothing can be purchased from a company that’s a nuclear weapons producer or contracted with the government.”
Since Hewlett-Packard had ties with U.S. nuclear weapons programs, the company went against the city’s nuclear-free ordinance.
The issue went to city officials who discussed and voted for a rare waiver after public input.
Read the Complete Story
Filed under: Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.