Education Access is in Peril--This is Why Libraries are So Important

I saw an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education today that stated that 2-year colleges are having to limit access to education for some because of lack of resources.  Here is just a bit of the article:

April 22, 2012

Education for All? 2-Year Colleges Struggle to Preserve Their Mission

It's become harder for some students to enroll in English-as-a-second-language courses at San Joaquin Delta College. The institution has eliminated its lower-level ESL courses because of budget cuts.

By Jennifer González

The open-door policy at community colleges is unique in American higher education. It allows all comers—a retired grandmother, an Army veteran, a laid-off machinist—to learn a skill or get a credential. That broad access—the bedrock of the community-college system—has prepared hundreds of millions of people for transfer to four-year colleges or entry into the work force.
But these days, the sector finds itself in a fight to save that signature trademark.

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If this is true, then isn't the role of libraries, especially public libraries, even more important?   People will need to teach themselves what colleges are compelled to restrict access to.  We are needed!