A new building for Greenfield’s public library! What a wonderful idea. It’s about time. Once built, it will be a gem set among other recent markers of Greenfield’s confidence in the present and in the future. The Justice Center, Greenfield High School, the Olver Transportation Center and the parking garage are all examples of how our town is moving forward with good faith.
Additionally, it is my understanding that a new public library building will be almost revenue neutral. The state is providing nearly half the funding for its construction and furnishing. Private donations will go a long way in helping to meet expenses. Retirement of current city debts will mean that borrowed money could be largely offset by those other debts disappearing. It’s a deal we should not refuse.
While some may be saddened by the thought of Greenfield’s public library leaving the charming but no longer adequate building it has long occupied, the truth is Greenfield needs a totally new structure to meet the needs of those seeking information in the 21st century. The current building can then be turned to uses for which it is far more suited.
Today’s libraries are more than collections of information printed on paper. Books, newspapers, magazines and journals are as important as they always were. That will continue to be true. But today we seek information in forms unheard of when the current building became our public library. Libraries are now information centers where every citizen, no matter their personal means, can have access to the internet, to films, to recordings, and to developing and yet to be developed technologies and sources of information.
Once in its new building, Greenfield’s public library will provide for the information needs of everyone in our town in ways the current building does not and cannot be retrofitted to meet. Plans include special areas for the use of both young and older children. That is necessary.
While access to the information at Greenfield’s public library is for all, young and old, the current building is difficult for many to use. It is impossible for others. Beyond the rightful concern for people who are physically challenged as they attempt to use our public library, we must take into account the town’s aging population.
Baby boomers are growing gray. The generation behind them is already hearing the first flaps of time’s winged chariot drawing near. We must ensure that our public library will be a source of knowledge, pleasure and comfort for all. To that end, it must not be housed in a building that is a hurdle to be overcome as people seek essential information.
I urge everyone to support a new building for our public library and to express their support to members of the City Council.
Wilson Roberts
Greenfield