What about our libraries?

‘Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future,” said Ray Bradbury, American author best known for writing Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.

He added, "Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years,"

While we don’t agree with Bradbury’s beliefs about colleges and universities, we do applaud his opinion of libraries (found in colleges and universities in addition to city and county locations).

The Whatcom County Library System, along with many other library systems in the state and county, is facing insufficient funding to support the current level of service. Without approval of the levy lift measure on the November 3 ballot, we may lose much of what we know as our library.

Birch Bay’s bookmobile service and the Blaine’s branch library are among the sites threatened with reduced hours of operation and reduced staff. Library service users could face increased fines and fees.

“The variety of opportunities offered by the library is amazing!” Debbie Farmer, Blaine Branch Manager, said.  “The public library is truly a thriving hub in the community!”

Events at the Blaine branch include Wii nights, art classes, book discussion groups, a chess club, and story times.

Circulation at that branch increased 9.3 precent this year over last, from 192,028 materials checked out in 2008 to 132,083 checked out through August 2009.

The Birch Bay bookmobile saw circulation rise an astounding 56 percent from 4,891 in 2008 to 4,845 through August 2009.

Washington libraries get their funding though a levy based on assessed property values. The last levy increase was 29 years ago. The current rate is $0.338; the requested level is $0.44. That figures out to an annual increase of $15.30 on a $150,000 property - less than a dinner out. Washington State law allows for $0.50 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, so the measure requests an amount well below the maximum.

Without our libraries, where would we be? Vote YES on on the library levy lift November 3.

Please comment - in agreement or not.

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