Read On!

Allison Rowland, Polson

Have you seen the signs around town: READ ON! What do they mean? They mean, please support the library when you vote November 4th.

We love the library! My children check out books weekly, and they go to Mother Goose Time and Story Time, where they participate in a group activity, make friends, and get a head start on learning to read. What a wonderful service to our families, I have seen moms, dads, and grandparents with little ones, connecting with each other and having fun. The librarians are so friendly and welcoming.

Why does the library need help, if it’s so great already? For starters, the current budget does not allow for any new acquisitions; all new books, DVDs, and audios are donated. The creation of a library district would provide funds for new materials. People are always waiting in line to use the computers; the availability of computers would improve with the creation of a library district. Hours would be extended as well.

If you are thinking, ‘I just voted for the recreation district, now this?’ imagine our community with a state of the art aquatic center AND an improved library better suited to our needs; I want that for my family. While healthy recreation and exercise is vital to people of all ages, literacy and access to information and ideas is also absolutely vital to a growing community. The library offers free entertainment for everyone - a bargain in hard times! To put the tax levy into perspective, the average cost of a hardback book is about $27, and the library district tax would be about $20 on a $100,000 home, and about $40 on a $200,000 home.

The library employees do amazing things with what little they have to work with; imagine what they could do with a stable budget! Please support the library November 4th, and READ ON!