To the Editor:
When the money pool shrinks, responsible people tighten belts, strip away frills, live a little closer to the bone-especially in New England towns, where a history of hard lives eked out on wind- and sea-pummeled granite has bred respect for reality.
Today, in the wobbly economic weather foisted on us by banking practices and warmongering politics, our public money can’t meet the demands on it and reasonable townspeople are having to make hard choices. In doing so, I hope we can all recognize the importance of institutions that make possible a more expansive future.
I’m urging citizens of Waldoboro to support the budget for the public library, a force for education and opportunity in our community.
The library provides computers and free Internet access to everyone along with books, periodicals, movies, audiobooks, reference materials, and regularly scheduled programs. A few statistics illustrate its role in Waldoboro. In 2012, the library received about 19,000 visits; 27,550 items circulated; the computers and Internet were used 3827 times-not counting after hours use of Wi-Fi-and 1147 children and 417 adults attended programs.
People were able to find tax assistance, job search aid, and literacy tutoring unavailable elsewhere in the community.
A good library is the heart of a town-a frequent query from anyone looking to establish a business locally is, “Does the town have a library? How often is it open?”-so, as we economize to live within our means, please let’s remember that the cozy children’s room is not just a source of pleasure but also a path to the resourcefulness our future generations will need. If the town is to grow, its heart has to be a strong presence.
