Not everyone agrees that renaming the Santa Monica Library after Dr. Martin Luther King is a great idea. Here are your responses to this week’s Q-Line question: “If you had your way, what should the library be called?” ■“As a long time Santa Monica property owner, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to even consider naming our new library after King. What did he ever do for Santa Monica? He was never here as far as I know. Why can’t it just be the Santa Monica Public Library like always?” ■“I love Dr. Martin Luther King. I think he was a great leader and I believe it would be a great idea to name the library after him. But I also wonder why they never name libraries after women? We have Caesar Chavez Day but we don’t have anything like Dolores Huerta Day or any other prominent women leaders. I think it would be cool if there were a library named after a woman. I’m all for it being named after Martin Luther King but it would be nice if they could think of a woman’s name once in a while.” ■“I think the Santa Monica Public Library should be named after an American Indian such as Crazy Horse, Sacagawea, Geronimo, etc. It’s time that we started acknowledging American Indians and their culture. We have plenty of things named after African American leaders. We even have a national holiday for Dr. King. It’s way past time that we started acknowledging our American Indian past and future.” ■“I believe the City of Santa Monica’s main library on Sixth Street should be called the Santa Monica City Library and nothing else.” ■“Keep the name Santa Monica Library. That would make it easier for visitor’s to know where to look it up in the phone book. Dr. King already has a boulevard named after him nearby.” ■“Call it the Ray Bradbury Library, or at least after somebody who has written a book or has something to do with a library. Otherwise, I like the Santa Monica Public Library.” ■“Call it the Homeless Library. After they build the cafe and the outdoor area all the homeless that are usually in the library and out front will be there. Maybe some of the people who use the library will not want to go in there anymore.” ■“I’m not sure, but we need a name for the library. Dr. King is too controversial because I don’t think he’s ever done anything here in Santa Monica. That’s not a good suggestion. I think it should be named after Christina Reed. She was a City Council lady a few years back. She did a lot for the city. But really, just call it the Santa Monica Library.” ■“I wonder whose hair brain scheme this is to name the library after Dr. Martin Luther King? I think the library should be named after someone from Santa Monica who has done a lot for the city. This City Council seems to come up with some real nut ideas.” ■“Our library should stay the Santa Monica Public Library. Each year we have a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leave the library alone.” ■“I have lived in Santa Monica for 65 years plus. The library has been called the Santa Monica Public Library for well over 100 years. I see no reason to change that. It would be like changing the name of Santa Monica High School, or the city of Santa Monica. To me it all seems ridiculous.” ■“I’m voting against naming the library after Dr. Martin Luther King. He was certainly a wonderful, influential person in our society but I think it would be better to name the library after someone locally or just keep it the Santa Monica Public Library.” ■“I think it’s ridiculous to rename the library. Dr. King has thousands of things named after him all over the country along with George Washington, John F. Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln. Leave it just the way it is. The Santa Monica Public Library. Everybody would be happy with that.” ■“I have lived here for over 40 years in Santa Monica. It should stay the Santa Monica Main Library.” ■“The library should be called the Santa Monica Public Library because that is what it will be. Naming it after anyone would be as inappropriate as renaming City Hall. In any case, the new library will be a lasting memorial to our present council, and their addiction to the reckless spending of large amounts of public money on unnecessary projects. Isn’t that enough? ■“I would not be interested in changing the name of the Santa Monica Public Library. I see no good reason for it. I’m sorry they changed the name of Lincoln Park. Let’s leave the names where they are.” ■“The new Santa Monica Library is a city library. It is for the citizens of this community. Hence, it should be called the Santa Monica Public Library. I don’t think there is any question about that. Also, I feel the library is just fine the way it is. I don’t know why we are spending millions to tear it down and do a new one. It amazing, nothing is broken. What a waste of funds.” ■“The Santa Monica Public Library should be named after someone who served the community, such as Ilona Katz.” ■“The library is for the public, and therefore should be called the Santa Monica Public Library.” ■“Erasmus was a scholar promoting international education during the Renaissance. Libraries are for education.” ■“The new library should be called the Santa Monica Library. This library has nothing to do with Dr. King although he must have been a fine man.” ■“I’d like to say that I’d just love to have our library remain, the Santa Monica Public Library. It has been just that for many, many years. Although we are getting a new library so to speak, I believe it still speaks highly, exactly, and precisely of what we are. Santa Monica, and we’re proud of it and we should keep it that way.” ■“I do not want it to be renamed after Dr. Martin Luther King. This is not Martin Luther King’s city. This is Santa Monica. I think it should stay the way it is.” ■“I think a good name for the new library should be the Santa Monica Public Library. Primarily because if you name it after Dr. Martin Luther King, it’s really nice and it makes the black people feel better and all that, but not even they can tell what the hell it is if everything is named after Dr. Martin Luther King. It’s a public library and people should know that because it’s named that.” ■“The name should stay the same. It’s a public building and it’s already got a nice name and renaming it after a public figure head that may or may not be appreciated by certain members of the public would have the effect of alienating certain members of the public. It’s supposed to be a public library. I don’t think it should be used as a way to raise money or promote certain figure heads. The name should stay the same.” ■“Naming the library after Dr. Martin Luther King is ridiculous and absolutely inappropriate. I won’t visit the library if it’s named after MLK and neither will my friends.” ■“You could have John F. Kennedy as the name of our library, or Ronald Reagan, Malcom X, John Wayne, Mother Theresa, or Martin Luther King. These are all great individuals who mean something to our society. However, Santa Monica Public Library, a name that has been known for decades and addresses our city. Why not leave a good name alone?” ■“ I don’t see any reason to name the Santa Monica Library after Martin Luther King or anyone else. I don’t know what he’s got to do with libraries and there plenty of streets and other things named after him. We have a wonderful community and a wonderful library and the name ought to be the Santa Monica Public Library. Period.” ■“I think the library should be called the Santa Monica Public Library.” ■“The library should be called the Santa Monica Public Library. Martin Luther King may have done wonderful things in his lifetime but he is not a representative of Santa Monica and certainly has nothing to do with a library. It belongs to all people in this community and by calling it the Santa Monica Public Library you are keeping it as a city institution.” ■“It should be called the Carnegie Library after Andrew Carnegie who built over 2,500 libraries in the United States and Canada.” ■“Melvin Duey. One of the greatest figures in library history. He said to get the right book into the hands of the right person at the right time.” ■“I believe we should pick a name for the library from a group. When other people make comments against a civil rights leader who has tremendously helped black people come through a whole lot, we don’t deserve to hear their comments when they don’t have an understanding of what black people went through with slavery. The library name should be picked from a pool of names and an organization will appreciate the enhancement of blacks. It seems that everyone is realizing that everyone is equal and each race has its own unique qualities.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 24, 2002. Read the original PDF.