Library provides prevention services for the community
I realize the difficult choices facing the county concerning the budget and I also realize funding for the library is not mandated.
I hope the adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” when considering cuts to library funding is considered:
1. Library story times and family literacy programs are helping families improve reading skills enabling them to be better county citizens.
2. After-school and online tutoring programs are helping students improve their skills in school and keeping them off the streets.
3. Job resource center and online resume help is aiding people in their search for employment which keeps them off county rolls if they are successful.
4. The library is a community gathering place, a source of entertainment in times of economic hardship and a center for technology assistance for those unable to afford broadband at home.
5. With school libraries closed, the county library is the reliable place of resources for students to do their homework so the library is a vital arm of the education system
6. A well educated citizenry reduces crime-related costs.
7. Finally, monetarily, the library has a return on the County’s investment of 20 percent which is much more than sales tax revenues per dollar.
A library is a drawing card for people moving into the area and we have an award-winning one. I grew up in a small rural western Kansas town which had a small library. The books we checked out gave us a window on the world and opened up all kind of possibilities for us and were also a source of entertainment since we did not have radio or television. When we moved here, we were delighted to find a public library where we had access to a variety of information. We grew up with technology with the library. It is an essential part of life in a community.
Harriet Brin
Hollister
