Letter to the Editor: Vote yes for new library district

Posted

I hope every eligible resident in the proposed Lewis River Library District will consider a yes vote to form the new library district. Many years ago we did not have library access either. But in those days a yearly NRF fee was $75. If you could not pay the yearly fee you could pay by the quarter, $25. I can remember only once could we afford the yearly fee. And many quarters we went without. Years later, our community elected to form a library district and I have watched youngsters at Yale School eagerly receive a library card! 

My dear friend, Julia Stoll, would say many times during our campaign for a library district, “A library card in the hand of a child opens to a lifetime of learning.” She was so right!

I would strongly take exception with the statement in the Voters Pamphlet, “traditional library services have been largely replaced by the internet and these resources are available to everyone free or at modest cost.” 

This is simply wrong. 



If the internet is even available in rural areas, it is often slow, expensive and unreliable. The internet can never replace the joy and surprise of browsing through shelves and discovering a book, CD, magazine or DVD, that grabs you and says, “I want to know more about that!” Plus, the internet can be too distracting and demands attention for too many other things. A book, a CD or magazine is a one on one.

Again, I hope every resident within this proposed library district will consider a “yes” vote. Libraries are the most democratic of institutions. Everyone pays according to their means and everyone benefits from its resources, if they choose. Library access creates an open door to learning, entertainment, knowledge and, most importantly, an open mind.